A new partnership between the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) and Partnerships for Forests (P4F) commits to improving farmer income and the production of sustainable coffee across East Africa.
The cooperation agreement between GCP and P4F, a UK Aid program, was signed at the end of June 2022 and sets out steps to strengthen the enabling environment to produce sustainable coffee.
Through embedding regenerative practices and sustainable landscape governance into the coffee value chain in the region, the partnership aims to increase farmer incomes and enhance relevant governance structures at both national and regional level by leveraging the GCP Network of Country Platforms in East Africa.
“We are excited to join GCP’s network of partners as we look to mobilise investments, at scale, that embed regenerative practices and sustainable landscape governance within the East Africa coffee sector,” says P4F Regional Director for East Africa, Ben Aschenaki.
“East Africa is home to some of the best coffees globally, and this partnership has the potential to significantly improve the livelihoods of millions of farmers while restoring and preserving the natural ecosystem of the coffee growing landscapes.”
The partnership’s first phase will run initially until July 2023 and will leverage the strengths of both GCP and P4F by engaging with local stakeholders and mainstreaming the learnings to the sector.
Among the activities supported, the partnership will contribute to the National Sustainability Curricula in the region and help embolden the new GCP Collective Action Initiative, ‘Youth for Coffee in Uganda’.
“By exploring with Partnerships for Forests, the nexus between farmer income and agroforestry practices, we can look forward to viable learnings and results both on farmer prosperity while at the same time ensuring sustainable practices for coffee production in line with regenerative agriculture,” says Annette Pensel, GCP Executive Director.
The partnership began end of June and will be formally launched in September online and in Kampala as part of the GCP East Africa Field Days.
To visit the Global Coffee Platform website, click here.
To visit the Partnerships for Forests website, click here.