Smallholder Farmers’ Management Practices and Perceived Constraints to Robusta Coffee Production in Mid-Altitude Zones of Central Uganda

Abstract

Despite its importance, Robusta coffee production in the mid-altitude zone of central Uganda is threatened by climate variability, especially erratic rainfall, which reduces coffee yield and increases the yield gap. Upscaling climate-smart management practices can narrow the yield gap. The study aimed to identify climate-smart management practices conducted by farmers in adapting Robusta coffee to climate variability and closing the yield gap, and to identify the major perceived constraints to Robusta coffee production under varying rainfall thresholds. Primary data from a cross-sectional survey on farmers’ management practices and perceived constraints, collected from 150 randomly sampled coffee farm households, were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics in Stata and R software. Results indicate more households are conducting mechanical weed control (100%), de-suckering (98%), pruning (74%), and shade management (51%). Though less than half of households conduct manuring (48%), herbicide (44%), fertiliser use (22%), water for irrigation (19%), pesticide use (13%), and soil erosion control measures (24%). A significant number (p=0.0011) of households still use indigenous local planting types, primarily in areas with low rainfall. Nevertheless, more households were using climate-smart practices at moderate than at high and low rainfall thresholds. The main perceived constraints across thresholds included drought and erratic rains, lack of access, and expensive inputs, pests, and diseases. Consequently, the study recommends policy interventions on expediting the provision of quality planting materials, greater access to modern and affordable forms of irrigation, judicious use of fertilisers, manure, pesticides, and developing guidelines for identification and control of Robusta coffee pests and diseases, and increased education to scale out climate-smart practices. These would sustainably increase Robusta coffee productivity, narrow the yield gap, and aid Uganda in achieving its target of 1.2 million tons and US$1.5B year-1 by 2030.