Organic coffee: A better life?

Coffee has been the main source of income for small-scale farmers in Kagera, Tanzania. Although Kagera is a major coffee producing area, farmers had problems making a living from coffee production, due to low volumes and fluctuating market prices. The low remuneration has discouraged young people from becoming involved in coffee production. In 1999, with the aim of improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in the region, the Export Promotion of Organic Products from Africa (EPOPA) programme began assisting two local rural cooperative societies to produce organic coffee for export...