Improving Kenya’s coffee value chain

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the decline of Kenya's coffee sector and proposes the integration of 17 Sustainable Consumption and Production Practices (SCPs) across the value chain to improve resource efficiency, worker welfare, and environmental sustainability.

• The coffee sector is a vital part of Kenya's economy, employing approximately 30% of the agricultural workforce, which equates to roughly 5 million people and impacts over 800,000 rural households. It contributes about 10% of the country's total agricultural export earnings.
• Kenya's coffee production has seen a steady decline over the last 40 years, with production dropping by 40% since the 1980s to approximately 1 million bags per year. Total production in 2020 was 39,000 tons.
• Climate change and environmental factors pose significant risks to the sector, including unreliable rains and shorter growing seasons. Coffee production in Kenya emits an estimated 4 kg of CO2e per kg of coffee, with synthetic fertilizers accounting for one-third of these emissions.
• The report identifies 17 Sustainable Consumption and Production Practices (SCPs) across the value chain. At the farm level, these include integrated coffee and livestock farming, composting, shade trees, single-stem farming, block and labelling, pest management, and precision farming.
• At the factory and milling levels, SCPs focus on reducing water and energy use. Eco-pulper technology or sun-drying can reduce water usage by 90–100% compared to traditional wet processing, which uses up to 20 litres of water per kg of cherries. Milling recommendations include solar photovoltaics, wind pumps, biogas, and biomass.
• To improve economic viability, the report suggests increasing domestic consumption, particularly among youth, and pursuing sustainable certifications such as FLO, Rain Forest Alliance, UTZ Kapeh, Nestle AAA, and C.A.F.E. Practices, though high fees and accessibility remain barriers.
• Policy recommendations include incorporating SCPs into Government of Kenya coffee sector reforms, allocating resources for capacity-building and extension officers, providing subsidies for sustainable technology, and creating institutional platforms for farmers to access market information.

APA

Takama, T., Kwamboka, E., Ogeya, M., Nyambane, A., & Diaz-Chavez, R. (2022). Improving Kenya’s coffee value chain. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/nzuve-kenyas-coffee-value-chain.pdf

Chicago

Takama, Takesh, Elvine Kwamboka, Mbeo Ogeya, Anne Nyambane, and Rocio Diaz-Chavez. Improving Kenya’s coffee value chain. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/nzuve-kenyas-coffee-value-chain.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{takama2022improving, author = {Takama, Takesh and Kwamboka, Elvine and Ogeya, Mbeo and Nyambane, Anne and Diaz-Chavez, Rocio}, title = {{Improving Kenya’s coffee value chain}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/nzuve-kenyas-coffee-value-chain.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }