Poor soil nutrition affecting coffee production in Acholi

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Poor soil nutrition and wildfires are hindering coffee production in the Acholi Sub-region. This is according to findings by Ribbo Coffee, a social enterprise.

The social enterprise which currently works with over 550 coffee farmers in Lango and Acholi Sub-region says, farmers need to learn how to make organic pesticides and fertilizers to maintain good soil health.

Innocent Piloya, the Chief Executive Officer of Ribbo Coffee says many coffee farmers in the region are struggling to harvest high yields from their coffee crop because they have neglected some important aspects such as water conservation, soil nutrition and health and incorporating agroforestry in their coffee farms.

“We are looking to support farmers who are already growing coffee on managing soil health because it’s very common to visit farms and the issue is soil nutrition,” says Piloya.

Piloya says farmers will be able to engage with coffee experts and agronomists and learn best practices on growing quality coffee during a coffee conference scheduled for March 7 at Elephant Commons in Gulu City.

The organization which is raising 50,000 seedlings to be sold to farmers at the end of April, is also looking at supporting farmers who want to start growing coffee in the Acholi sub-region by providing them with quality seedlings and agronomic advice.

Christopher Opiyo Ateke, the LCV Chairperson of Gulu District notes that coffee has the potential to get the population in Gulu and Acholi out of poverty.

“Extension workers are currently thin on the ground. Farmers don’t know how to handle coffee, how to add value,” says Opiyo.

He adds that there is a need for the government to support farmers with soft loans and increase the number of extension workers to increase coffee production.

“In two or three years to come, we will not be the poorest in the country if more farmers are supported to grow coffee,” Opiyo said.

Acholi sub-region has consistently registered some of the highest poverty rates in Uganda, according to reports by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).

According to UBOS’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), poverty incidence in Acholi stands at 63.6%, significantly above the national average.

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