- Coffee is one of the main cash crops in Kenya. Over the years, the sector has not been sufficiently rewarding.
- Key actors are committed to addressing living wage challenges for coffee farmers in East Africa.
Image: John Kamau
Coffee farmers are set to smile all the way to the bank after IDH with the Kenya Coffee Platform (SautiyaKahawa) convened a stakeholders forum to close the income gaps for coffee farming households.
IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative is an organisation that works with businesses, financiers, governments and civil society to realise sustainable trade in global value chains.
The organisation brings together at least 600 companies and governments to drive new sustainable production and trade models in emerging economies reaching more than four million farmers in 30 countries.
The meeting in a Nairobi hotel brought together key actors who committed to addressing living wage challenges for coffee farmers in East Africa.
IDH chief executive Daan Wensing said the focus of the meeting was to bring together stakeholders who are actively engaged or considered frontrunners in integrating living income within the coffee sector and at a business level.
“IDH in collaboration with our partners is at the forefront of bridging the living income gaps for coffee farmers in Kenya and East Africa in general as we aim to improve the livelihoods of all coffee farmers,” he said.
“We are also sharing living income-related tools and resources that may be availed to other sectors such as tea, so this is just the springing board.”
Ivy Nderitu, the coordinator at Kenya Coffee Platform, said closing the living wages gap for coffee farmers in Kenya is a collective effort that needs different stakeholders in the sector.
“The key expected outcome of this convening is a commitment by all the sector stakeholders to work towards defining and agreeing on firm commitments for business or sector actions," Nderitu said.
"To progressively close living income gaps. We are hoping to adopt and ratify this commitment during a follow-up event later this year."
KCP is an inclusive county and national multi-stakeholder and pre-competitive, collaborative forum.
It seeks to provide a platform for coffee stakeholders both public and private, to freely interact, discuss, deliberate and address issues affecting the sector to create sustainability.
Coffee is one of the main cash crops in Kenya. Over the years, the sector has not been sufficiently rewarding.
Farmers and entrepreneurs across different value chains continue to grapple with meagre income coupled with the challenges of climate change, competition and marketing challenges occasioned by unscrupulous middlemen.
Jenny Löfbom, the IDH country director said they are using a multi-dimensional approach to address the living wage gap for coffee farmers.
“We are convening a global network to build on each other’s strengths, align on strategies, share best practices and pilot new methodologies to make coffee farming in this region profitable, environmentally friendly and climate resilient,” she said.
The event was also graced by representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, officials from the Global Coffee Platform, Kenya Coffee Producers Association, farmer organisations, donors and international organisations and the private sector.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)