The Coffee yearbook 2014/15
The Coffee yearbook 2014/15
UgandaCoffeeFederation
UgandaCoffeeFederation
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Introduction:
Coffeeaccounts
forover 60%of the total cashcrops
andearnsat least 20%of thenational
foreignexchange. Therefore its
continuedproductivity is important.
Accordingly, theyieldandqualityof
thecrop shouldnotbeallowed to
degenerate. Moreover, intensification
ofproduction is imperative since
Uganda’spopulation in increasingvery
fast (3.2%) Themajor issue, therefore,
ishow touse soil relatedmeasures
amongothers, to increaseboth the
yieldandqualityof thecrop, noting
that thesemeasures requireoptimum
weather conditions. Theseconcerns
relate to the impendingclimate
changewhichwill results in severe
droughts, floodsandunpredictable
weather.
Interactionsmust accordingly, occur
between soil cover, soil organicmatter,
water, nutrients, rootdevelopment
anddrought resistant varieties. It
isonlywhenall these factorsare
coordinated, canproductivitybe fully
expressed.
Problemscausedby
droughts
Drought isasa resultof high
temperatures, abovenormal,which
causeplants towilt andeventuallydie.
The soil hardenswithcrustingof the
top layer. Plantnutrientsaremade
unavailableespeciallyphosphorus
which isnormally insoluble.
Problemscausedbyfloods
Excess rain, abovenormal, due to
climatechange, results intofloods. Any
slightly sloping landmaybeeroded.
Consequently the top soilwhichhas
organicmatter is lost. Also soluble
nutrients likenitrogenandpotassium
are lost through leaching. Thisalso
leads to soilsbecomingacidic. Some
nutrients, especiallyphosphorus,
areunavailableunder acidic soil
conditions. On theotherhand,
manymicronutrientsare toxicunder
acidic soil conditionsespeciallyzinc,
manganeseand iron.
Ifplants remainunderflooded
conditions for a long time theydie
because thewaterblocks the soil air
space thus suffocating the rootspours.
Floodsmayalso lead to slidesof land
whereby theproductive land slopes
downwards therebydestroyingall the
cropsas itmoves.
Problemscausedby
unpredictableweather
Normallyunder knownweather
conditions, farmersknowwhen to
plant, harvest, dryandconsequently
store their crops. Thuspreparations
aremade for theseprocesses. If for
instancedrought came immediately
afterplanting, theyoungplantsmay
perish; or if it rained severely just
afterharvest, theharvestedcropswill
bemoldy thus spoiling thequality.
Thereforeunpredictableweathermay
bedetrimental tocropproductivity.
MeasuresUsedTo
Overcome ImpactsOf
ClimateChange
1. Effectiveuseof rainwater
Therearemanyways inwhich rain
water canbeharvested:
From roofs; sometimeseven if there
isnohouseamobilewater collection
material, canbe improvised.Water can
alsobecollected frompaths,water
ways, road sidesand trenches.
Water isoneof themost fertility
requirements for coffeeproductivity.
In fact coffeedistribution in the
country follows thequantityand
distributionof rainfall.
ClimateSmart
Farming:
How tomaintainahappycoffeebush
2.Mulching
Herecrop residuesarecommonly
used. In somecasesbushesmaybe
used.
3. Shedding
Many farmersattempt to regulate
sunor theheatusinga shade tree
regime.However, thereare trade-offs.
Trees likeficus, some fruit trees, and
some leguminous treese.g. albiziaare
recommended. It is treeswhichdonot
forma thickcanopy thatworkwell.
4. Biologicalmeans
Byuseofmycorrhiza fungiwhich
improveonnutrient andwater
absorption. Forest soilshave inherent
fungiwhichcaneasilybeusedat
plantingcoffee.
5. Increasingsoilwater
retentioncapacityby
•
Incorporatingorganicmatter
into the soil, e.g. coffeehusks.
•
Useof vermiculite
•
Useof crushedvolcanicearth
6. Improvingwaterand
nutrientuseefficiency:
improvedcropmanagement like
adjusting spacing i.e.moreplantsper
hectare.
7. Intercropping:
Coffeemaybe intercroppedwith
legumes suchas canavaliaorwith
other crops suchasbananas.During
the rainy season thecover crop
protects the soil, but thismaybecut to
protect the soil during thedrought. In
the samewayan intercroppedbanana
maybe the sourceofwater for coffee
during thedrought.The ideahere is
toconstantly feed the intercropped
bananaas it also feeds coffee.
8.Useofnutrient
amelioration
Ithasbeen found that farmers in
Ugandadepleteabout 1.2%of the
nutrient stock stores in the top soil
per year (FAO, 2005),which leads
toapredicted0-31% reduction in
cropproductivityyearly. However,
malnourishment leads to succumbing
toadverseconditionseasily. The
roleof nutrients includes, cellwall
adjustment, osmotic functioning,
energy transactions, drought and
pest resistanceandcell division, root
development andflowering.
9. Ameliorationsof soil
conditions.
When soilsbecomeacidic, nutrients
andmicro-organismsdonot function.
Thereforeagricultural liming is
necessary forproper functioningof
all nutrientsandmicroorganisms.On
theotherhandwhen soil structure
isdegraded rootsdonot function
properly; thereforeorganicmatter
and soil pulverizationare required for
appropriate soil structure.
Thereforeorganic–nutrient
interactionsareneeded forproper
plantgrowth.
10. Policy requirements to
mitigate
climate
Change.
Research
toproduce
drought
resistant
varieties
together
with their
distribution;
Pricingof
inputs;
Marketing
avenues;
Conditions toenable farmers to form
associations;
Protectionof farmers to secure
ownershipof farmland;
Protectionagainst theftof their crops.
11. Site–Specific
considerations:
Site selection is thefirst stepwhen
consideringcoffeeproductionand the
site specifics include: Slope, terrain, soil
type, andprevailingwinds
CONCLUSION:
Inconclusion, acombinationof
mineral fertilizerswithorganic
matter, agricultural lime, good
management andappropriatepolicies,
is recommended for sustainable
coffeeproductivity since it causes
a synergisticeffectwheremoisture,
nutrientsand rootgrowthare
promotedat the same timeand this
will overcome thenegative impactof
climatechange.
By:Prof. JuliusY.K.Zake,
DirectorNUCAFE
