THE SLOPES OF MOUNT ELGON PRODUCE 70 % OF UGANDAS‘ FINEST ARABICA COFFEE
The deforestation for energy (heating and cooking) and the creation of more agricultural land have accelerated the number of landslides over the last century. Since the start of the millennium, Uganda has lost 64.3 kilo-hectares of humid primary forest, equivalent to the production of 10 million tonnes of carbon. At 2.200 metres an area of 215.417 hectares has been designated UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve. Human communities live adjacent to its border and the biodiversity loss has had an impact on food yields and species count. Mount Elgon National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest together have 142 species on The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) Red List. The list is the world’s most comprehensive source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species which are indicators of our planet’s biodiversity, and therefore, its health.
CARICO TAKES INTO ACCOUNT 3 LINKED DIMENSIONS
WE ARE INTERESTED IN EVERYTHING RELATED TO COFFEE
the place where it grows, the way it is cultivated, the people who grow it, the cooperatives that process and dry it, how they do that, when they do that, how it is packed, how it is shipped, how it is stored, how it is roasted and how it is brewed. This demands us to see and approach things differently: we have to innovate to make a difference and remain relevant for future generations of coffee growers, makers and drinkers.
It's easier to understand now than at inception in 2016, why we work holistically with communities in Mount Elgon; why we develop resilient learning; why we support Cooperatives through training and provision or loan of processing materials; why we guide the set-up of cooperatives; why we pre-purchase processing material for eventual joint ownership; why we support schools in farming communities by building pumps for clean water; why we donate quality coffee seedlings to rebuild the stock; why we planted 11,000 trees at over 1,800 metres altitude and why we plan to continue.
(These actions are inter-dependent and we do not view them as the final goal.)
