Climate-smart coffee production in the East African Community and export opportunities to the EU

This report analyzes the impact of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) on coffee production in the East African Community (EAC) and its role in accessing the EU market. Meta-analysis shows that mulching, organic manure, and irrigation significantly increase yields, while agroforestry substantially boosts carbon sequestration. The EU is a primary export destination, accounting for 60.1% of EAC coffee exports in 2021, but access requires compliance with strict sustainability, deforestation, and phytosanitary regulations.

• Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices significantly improve coffee yields in the East African Community. Mulching shows the highest impact with a 58% increase in yields, followed by organic/green manure at 37.9%, irrigation at 33%, and agroforestry/shade systems at 22%. Conversely, intercropping was found to have a small negative effect of 12.6% on overall yields compared to mono-cropped controls, although it may improve soil fertility and farmer income.
• CSA practices, particularly agroforestry and organic farming, enhance carbon sequestration in coffee systems. Coffee-based agroforestry or shaded coffee increases total carbon stock by an average of 77%. Organic coffee farming systems increase total carbon stock by 36%, with specific increases of 45% in aboveground carbon and 32% in soil organic carbon compared to conventional systems.

APA

Sunguti, E. M., Sitati, C., Kehbila, A., Lutta, A., Suljada, T., & Osano, P. (2024). Climate-smart coffee production in the East African Community and export opportunities to the EU. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/sei2024.031-coffee-eac-eu-export.pdf

Chicago

Sunguti, Elizabeth Majani, Cynthia Sitati, Anderson Kehbila, Alphayo Lutta, Timothy Suljada, and Philip Osano. Climate-smart coffee production in the East African Community and export opportunities to the EU. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2024. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/sei2024.031-coffee-eac-eu-export.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sunguti |first1=Elizabeth Majani |last2=Sitati |first2=Cynthia |last3=Kehbila |first3=Anderson |last4=Lutta |first4=Alphayo |last5=Suljada |first5=Timothy |last6=Osano |first6=Philip |title=Climate-smart coffee production in the East African Community and export opportunities to the EU |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=October 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/sei2024.031-coffee-eac-eu-export.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sunguti2024climatesmart, author = {Sunguti, Elizabeth Majani and Sitati, Cynthia and Kehbila, Anderson and Lutta, Alphayo and Suljada, Timothy and Osano, Philip}, title = {{Climate-smart coffee production in the East African Community and export opportunities to the EU}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/sei2024.031-coffee-eac-eu-export.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }