Coffee industry regeneration in Sao Tome and Principe

Summary

Sao Tome and Principe was losing its remarkable past experience in coffee production and processing. Two innovative approaches promoted under the Participatory Smallholder Agriculture and Artisanal Fisheries Development Programme (PAPAFPA) helped reverse this decline.  The first was a public-private partnership between a French private coffee operator, Malongo, and a cooperative of local coffee smallholders (CECAFEB). The second was a partnership between CECAFEB and a training institute (SEM) from El Salvador to develop solutions for the coffee industry and to establish a framework cooperation agreement for future development of the local coffee industry.

Challenge

Sao Tome and Principe had experienced a rapid loss of its remarkable past tradition in coffee production and processing. The local coffee producer cooperative CECAFEB needed a way to reverse this trend and introduce high-quantity, high-quality production in the coffee sector aimed mainly at the export market.

A specific challenge within this project was the professionalization of all players along the coffee value chain in order to better exploit the existing potential of local production, deliver a high quality product and ensure the co-operative’s long-term (technical and financial) sustainability.

Solution

To reverse the decline and relaunch coffee production the PAPAFPA project introduced the following partnerships:

1. between the local Government and institutes in El Salvador and Mexico to assist the local smallholders coffee cooperative (CECAFEB)
2. with a French private coffee operator (Malongo) to facilitate exports.

The guidance provided by Malongo and the institute from El Salvador (SEM) allowed CECAFEB to address the constraints faced by coffee producers. From 2011 CECAFEB has benefitted from SEM’s technical knowledge and training in coffee production, processing and marketing.

SEM and CECAFEB also established a framework cooperation agreement that included an action plan comprising:

1. rehabilitation of coffee plantations
2. implementation of a reforestation plan through the creation of nurseries
3. organizing smallholder growers into producer associations in order also to meet the fair-trade certification requirements
4. implementing an agro-industrial unit (wet-treatment unit) for the processing of fresh coffee beans
5. supporting the production and trade of food security crops to complement incomes derived from coffee production.

Mexico was also involved in exchange programmes focused on training in production techniques, management of coffee cooperatives, centralization of processing techniques, and technical issues.

Results

This type of South-South exchange helped the country revive its past coffee tradition and was an opportunity to better understand how collaboration among countries and partnership is pivotal to the achievement of good results. Key results to date include:

About 30 ha/year of coffee trees renovated by the cooperative.

Most plots are better maintained, and farmers show an enhanced commitment to the management of their production units, which were almost abandoned until 2010.

CECAFEB is paying extra attention to the selection of the genetic material used for replanting purposes and in selecting growers to work with – for setting up nurseries, selection of genetic material, etc.

Some coffee samples from CECAFEB producers were analyzed in El Salvador, where laboratory and gustative tests highlighted the high quality potential of local supplies: samples received an 85 grade on the SCCA scale, which corresponds to the premium or gourmet category

Use of traps, installed and managed as per instructions received from Mexican and Salvadorian technicians, is proving very effective to counteract pest attacks.

Lessons learned and potential for replication

Cooperation between SEM and institutes in El Salvador and Mexico has provided useful technical and managerial inputs to both the CECAFEB co-op and to its members. Dialogue among peers (technicians or producers) belonging to different countries and learning exchanges have highly facilitated transmission of know-how and adoption of good practices by final beneficiaries.

Independent laboratory and organoleptic tests by peer organizations highlighted the high market potentials of Sao Tome and Principe coffee supplies and therefore the potential for exploration of the most promising market niches, provided the industry revitalization work is properly implemented by CECAFEB and its members.

Next steps

While all partners recognize the progress made by the various actors of this value-chain since 2010, there are challenges ahead, and support from the Central American partners will continue to be sought and encouraged by both IFAD and Malongo.