The event takes place in Mukono Town on May 12

Unlocking community barriers for a profitable and open source agroforestry coffee value chain: this is the leading theme at the 4th Slow Food Uganda Coffee Festival. Slow Food Uganda believes that agroforestry in coffee production is the key to achieving sustainability in the coffee industry and ensuring sustainable livelihoods for small-scale farming communities.

Today in Uganda there are over 1.7 million family-run coffee plantations, employing more than 6.8 million Ugandans. The collapse of large-scale estates has made coffee growing a predominantly smallholder crop across the country and growing coffee is the leading source of economic livelihood for Uganda’s rural population.

Slow Food Uganda, in collaboration with the Slow Food Coffee Coalition and local partners, recognizes both the pecuniary and intrinsic value of coffee and the role of smallholder coffee producers in sustaining the sector in the country. The event aims to raise awareness around the topic, involving roasters, producers, traders, civil society organizations and the wider public, including international representatives from Malawi. The event program includes educational workshops, conferences on the future of the coffee agroforestry sector in Uganda and Malawi, a Coffee House, and a B2B lounge and activities for families and children to discover the fascinating world of coffee.

“Coffee agroforestry in Uganda is an important part of the country’s economy and culture. Through the Coffee Coalition program, Slow Food has created a participatory global platform with grassroots coffee farming communities and different partners along the coffee value chain to protect and promote ecologically-produced Ugandan coffee. Integrating native trees and food crops on coffee farms is important because it provides another income source for many rural families, and contributes significantly towards food security and preserving the natural environment for future generations of farmers and wildlife alike,” comments Edie Mukiibi, President of Slow Food. “The Coffee Festival is part of our campaign to promote the production, trade and consumption of ecologically-produced Ugandan coffee and to educate the nation about the value of protecting the nation’s coffee biodiversity.” Join the Coalition and sign the Manifesto!

The Slow Food Coffee Coalition

Since 2021, the Slow Food Coffee Coalition has been working to improve the livelihoods of smallholder coffee farmers and pioneer a good, clean and fair coffee value chain by improving the quality of coffee production and promoting local coffee varieties. “With this event we would like to establish a sustainable network of coffee communities countrywide, one that is committed to the agroforestry system of coffee production, through the establishment of a Participatory Guarantee System model based on the native coffee varieties of Uganda and Malawi,” comments Emanuele Dughera, Slow Food Coffee Coalition coordinator.

The Slow Food Uganda Coffee Festival is supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as part of the project Addressing market constraints and capacity building towards sustainable and profitable coffee agroforestry value-chains in Uganda and Malawi, and by private partners such as Lavazza and De Longhi.

Here you will find more info and the program: https://slowfooduganda.org/