Challenging established practices in the coffee industry

This case study describes the work of Mountain Harvest, an intermediary organization in Uganda that supports 850 smallholder coffee farmers in the Mount Elgon region. The organization utilizes a commercial business model focused on premium, organic, and ethically traded coffee to help farmers bypass commodity pricing and secure higher prices. To combat climate change and seasonality, Mountain Harvest promotes regenerative agriculture and income diversification through additional crops and livestock. The organization also seeks to improve the livelihoods of 'invisible workers,' specifically female hand sorters who often earn less than $1 a day.

• Mountain Harvest operates as an intermediary for 850 farmers across eight communities in Mount Elgon, Uganda, using organic certification to help farmers avoid commodity pricing and secure better market deals.
• Higher prices and immediate payments provided by Mountain Harvest enable farmers to reinvest in their farms, improve household food security and health, and pay for their children's education.
• To mitigate climate risks such as droughts and mudslides, Mountain Harvest implements regenerative agriculture and income diversification by introducing macadamia, avocados, rabbit rearing for organic manure, and legumes for soil nitrogen.
• Female hand sorters in the coffee value chain are identified as 'invisible workers' who often live in severe poverty on less than $1 a day with no job security; Mountain Harvest is working to provide them with more consistent work, daily meals, and opportunities for saving and entrepreneurship.
• The Global Resilience Partnership is partnering with Mountain Harvest for three years to provide smallholder farmers with access to fairly-priced loans and to change perceptions regarding the risks they represent.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (2023). Challenging established practices in the coffee industry. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/challenging-established-practices-in-the-coffee-industry/

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. Challenging established practices in the coffee industry. 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/challenging-established-practices-in-the-coffee-industry/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=Challenging established practices in the coffee industry |date=1 March 2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/challenging-established-practices-in-the-coffee-industry/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalresiliencepartnership2023challenging, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{Challenging established practices in the coffee industry}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/challenging-established-practices-in-the-coffee-industry/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }