Gender Equity.
Women are actively involved in the production yet they are not always involved in the decision making at family level regarding where the income is spent neither are, they involved in trainings.
KCDA is implementing the Gender Action Learning System-(GALS) through its leadership trainings as a useful signal to Agriculture training sessions per month. Gender and the Coffee Value chain in Uganda is an important component in the Coffee value chain today. In most rural areas of Uganda Coffee is known as “a Man’s crop” yet women significantly contribute a reasonable percentage of over 58% in the coffee value chain. We want women recognized and not only appreciated but also participate in the decision-making process during the coffee value chain.
Its also important to know that women contribute over 72% of the profits are contributed by women through the post-harvest handling stage. Women and Youth need to access Finance, Land, extension services and training and inputs just as men for sustainable coffee Production and promotion.
Women and youth spend more time clearing land, Nursery bed management, planting weeding, fertilizer application and pruning among other activities yet their contribution is not well appreciated.
As an Organization we feel women should be appreciated and recognized to take important and serious decisions in the coffee value chain. We believe the future productive benefits from the coffee production will largely depend on the active participation of women and young people in the coffee Value Chain.
This is evident in Kanungu where District in Kigezi region where 65% of the labor in the coffee value chain is contributed by women from Field to marketing and 35% is contributed by men. It is painful that women are typically excluded from processing and marketing activities.