Most farmers in this community had abandoned coffee production because of fluctuating prices of the product and of demotivation due to the destruction of all plants due to disease in the early 1980s. Now, with NUCAFE’s efforts, farmers have been sensitized to participate again in groups and associations and have formed the Naama Coffee Farmers Association. They were thus able to purchase disease-resistant plants and receive from NUCAFE training on how to grow them.

The Naama Coffee Farmers’ Association has 200 registered members, including 110 farmers, 73 women farmers and 17 young people. The association is led by young Saran Nakuya, guided by senior members and with the support of NUCAFE:

Sarah said Naama farmers are happy with the Omukwano (“friendship”) partnership between NUCAFE and Caffè River because for the first time they were able to sell their coffee directly to the international market: “A farmer in Naama was able to receive 8,000 Ugandan shillings for a kilo of coffee sold at Caffè River, which is far more than the price locally paid by middlemen“.

They supplied coffee to Caffè River for the first time in October 2016 with a total of 97 bags, equivalent to 5820 kilograms of 17/18 Robusta coffee.