LDC launches carbon harvest scheme to promote climate mitigation, adaptation among Ugandan coffee farmers

UGANDA – Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), one of Uganda’s leading international green coffee buyers, has partnered with Solidaridad East and Central Africa to launch a carbon harvest scheme aimed at promoting climate mitigation and adaptation among coffee farmers.

The sustainability project is funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and began in May 2024. The scheme aims to train 4,500 smallholder farmers by 2027.

In Uganda’s coffee sector, the scheme focuses on replanting areas affected by deforestation and encouraging the use of biochar within coffee gardens, thus providing additional income for farmers.

The project aims to reduce 6.15 million tons of carbon, with 5.35 million tons removed using biochar and 14.5 million tons removed through agroforestry by 2027.

Additionally, it intends to develop a coffee traceability tool, increase coffee yields by 30% among farmers, engaging 40% of women and youth in decision-making processes within coffee associations and households, and promoting better coffee harvesting and post-harvest handling practices.

Benjamin Chastang, LDC’s representative, explained that the initiative is designed to offer economic incentives for countries and businesses to reduce their environmental impact.

“Farmers earn based on the amount of carbon they mitigate through tree planting and the volume of biochar they produce,” Chastang noted. Flaviah Koyesiga Birungi, the Solidaridad Uganda Project Manager, emphasized that carbon will be traded alongside coffee as a market-based solution to environmental challenges.

“We aim to increase resilience to climate change, improve livelihoods, and create carbon-free coffee. We also seek to introduce small-scale biochar production among farmers and certify over 4,500 farmers under the Rainforest Alliance and LDC RSP-Advanced standards to comply with new EU regulations on deforestation.”

Local coffee farmers have expressed enthusiasm for the scheme, noting that while the ongoing reforms in the coffee industry had dampened farmers’ spirits, the new scheme offering premium advantages has reignited hope among farmers.

Part of the project is also gender integration, aiming to empower marginalized groups such as women and youth.

Dr. Catherine Odenyo Ndekera, the Regional Gender Inclusivity Advisor at Solidaridad, emphasized that the carbon harvest scheme will address gender inequalities and social norms that often exacerbate poverty.

Ole Dahl Rasmussen from the Danish Embassy, pledged that the Danish Embassy’s continued support for the initiative, which aligns with Denmark’s environmental and gender inclusivity priorities.

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