ARABIKA

ACTION RE-LAUNCH AGRICULTURE AND BRANDING INTERNATIONALIZATION OF KENYAN COFFEE IN AND OUT OF AFRICA

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ABOUT

THE PROJECT

ARABIKA is a project born out of the collaboration of the Governments of Kenya and Italy. It is funded by The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). Its interventions target the whole coffee supply chain by focusing on: The organizational and management aspects of the producer cooperatives, A marketing component with a specific aim of improving the quality of the final product. The aim is to improve access to more lucrative markets, both locally and globally. The project is in line with the strategies of the national government and counties on the development of the coffee value chain.

 

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Project overview

The ARABIKA project focuses on the coffee supply chain in Kenya by offering capacity building through the business skills training of cooperatives, especially within the management level. Topics that will be emphasized on are the value chain components of production, processing, branding, marketing and distribution, with the aim of strengthening and improving the competitiveness of coffee cooperatives in Kenya. The project is in line with the strategies of the national government and counties on the development of the coffee value chain.

COFFEE STATISTICS

According to the Coffee Directorate Statistics Year Book (2017/18), the coffee covers an area of 114,794 hectares, and is grown in 29 counties by 2 distinct categories of farmers: smallholders and summer farmers. Small farmers are the majority, estimated at a total number of 700,000, and organized into 513 cooperatives, while the number of active agricultural farmers is 2,046.

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Project Background

Target Beneficiaries : 30,000 small scale coffee farmers (21 Coffee cooperatives spread in 7 counties)
Budget : Total budget: € 3,024,513.17
Funded By : Italian Agency for Development Cooperation -AICS
Duration : 3 Years, July 2021 - December 2024
Project Area : 7 Counties Namely: Meru, Embu, Nyeri, Murang’a, Machakos, Kiambu and Bungoma.

Implementing Partners : CEFA-Lead , AVSI Foundation, E4IMPACT and the Target County Governments.

Project Interventions Components : Climate smart Production, Producer Cooperative Management, Quality Processing, Digitization, Branding & Differentiation and Local and International Marketing .

Strategic Planning

Kenya Government Strategic plan on the development of the Coffee Sector in Kenya is captured in an 8 fundamental elements road map as follows:

1) Policies and Legal Reforms

2) Development of Innovations and Technology

3) Financing of Coffee Production, Processing and Marketing

4) Involvement of women and young people in the coffee sector

5) Institutional support of the coffee sector

6) Kenya coffee marketing

7) Prudent financial management of coffee institutions

8) Facilitation of entrepreneurship in the sector

This project is designed to integrate and complete this roadmap of the growth of the coffee sector

Coffee production in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda between 1991 and 2020
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The analysis of the national and local context

Agriculture is the backbone of the Kenyan economy, and directly represents 34.2% of the national GDP, plus a further 27% indirectly, through the connection with other sectors. Agriculture contributes 65% of total exports, and employs over 80% of the country's rural workforce. The coffee sector has been one of the key pillars of Kenya's economic development for decades, producing some of the best coffee in the world, largely thanks to the rich volcanic soil, well- distributed rainfall, high altitude and moderate temperatures. It currently ranks fourth after tourism, tea and horticulture in export revenue. Coffee also contributes to the growth of agriculture through the incomes of family farms, as well as to job creation and food security, supporting around 5 million people.

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Beneficiaries

7

Counties

21

Cooperatives

3

project duration

The general objective

The general objective of the project is to improve the income of small coffee producers in rural communities, and to reduce their socio-economic and cultural vulnerability, as well as to increase the participation of women and youths. It will also contribute to the growth of the national agricultural GDP thanks to the support to the reform of the coffee sector promoted by the President of Kenya.

The specific objective

The specific objective aims at educating farmers on good cultural and processing practices and on the control of fungal diseases; to provide management and governance training to farmers and their organizations, with particular attention to women and youths; to educate farmers to recognize the quality and value of their product through physical analysis and coffee tasting; to increase the value of Kenyan coffee through the characterization and brand creation; to introduce complete product traceability along the value chain.