- Background:
Coffee is Uganda’s top cash and export crop. Uganda is Africa’s leading coffee exporter, currently exporting about 8 million bags. Uganda set a coffee export target of 20 million bags by 2030 in order to increase farmers’ income. The government of Uganda has strategies to increase coffee production e.g. giving seedlings and mobilizing people to increase coffee production and value addition. Under the Parish Model strategy, coffee is the main commodity enterprise.
- Current Problem:
Coffee Influencers have not been tapped to aggressively participate in promoting coffee production (quantity and quality). Coffee producing cannot be left alone to coffee extension staff at district level – some may not be coffee farmers. People learn easily from role models.
Who are the potential Coffee Influencers (Role Models)? Prominent coffee farmers or elites who can influence increased coffee production in their parishes.
- Main Objective of Produce More Coffee Campaign Project:
Mobilize Coffee Influencers using Digital Marketing to participate in promoting coffee production and improved post-harvest handling practices in their parishes.
- Campaign Innovations:
- Use of Digital /Online media (Coffee Promoter Portal) – to mobilize coffee influencers to participate in promoting increased coffee production focusing on 20 million coffee bags target. Campaign participants will receive periodical messages from Coffee Promoter Portal highlighting actions for mobilizing farmers to produce more coffee.
- Target Marketing – e.g. Bags of coffee to be produced per parish/district per year.
- Coffee Production Competitions – Initiate the idea of coffee production competitions at household, parish and district levels.
- Coffee Demos – Role Models will “educate” by example using their own Coffee Demos.
- Mindset Change – Instead of asking for handouts, farmers should be helped to increase their income by producing more coffee and improving post-harvest handling.
- Mobilization of Coffee Production Influencers
- We are requesting Parliament to support the program by mobilizing MPs to join the campaign as Coffee Role Models (Coffee Influencers) in their parishes and districts.
- MPs to recruit Coffee Influencers in their parishes and constituencies to join the program.