Uganda could soon add new value to its coffee sector by developing Excelsa coffee, an underutilised species that researchers say has potential for climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and market diversification.
The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), through the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NaRL) at Kawanda, has been engaging farmers and partners to generate evidence needed to organise the crop’s value chain and position it for future market development.
“Excelsa coffee presents an important opportunity for Uganda, but we must approach it carefully and scientifically. Farmers already have valuable knowledge about the crop, while researchers must generate the evidence needed to support conservation, planting material development, quality profiling and market positioning.” Dr. Yona Baguma, the NARO Director General, said during a recent visit to one of the trial fields at Kamenyamiggo in Lwengo district.
Dr. Baguma noted that once established, Excelsa coffee would expand Uganda’s coffee base beyond the dominant Robusta and Arabica species.
On Thursday, NaRL together with partners held a focused engagement with farmers to further explore the potential of Excelsa coffee as an emerging opportunity for Uganda’s coffee sector.
Dr. Catherine Kiwuka, NARO’s lead scientist on the project: “Development of Excelsa Coffee under Global Change”, said the organisation is working in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Makerere University; Kyagalanyi Coffee Limited, and farmers, with financial support from the Calleva Foundation,
Excelsa coffee, scientifically known as Coffea dewevrei, and known by different local names such as “Kisansa” by farmers is one of the coffee species found in Uganda and predominant in Zoka Central Forest Reserve in Adjumani district and Semuliki National Park in Bundibugyo district.
Although it is still largely underdeveloped and highly diverse, researchers believe it presents an important opportunity for coffee diversification, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and future market development.
During the farmer–scientist interface at Kawanda, farmers, researchers, private-sector actors and institutional partners discussed how Uganda can develop the Excelsa coffee value chain. The meeting included a guided visit to an on-station field trial, where farmers observed the performance of different Excelsa materials and shared feedback based on their own farming experience.
Farmers provided practical insights on the agronomy of Excelsa coffee, including tree growth, flowering behaviour, fruiting patterns, management practices, field performance, challenges and perceived advantages. They also raised issues related to planting material, market access, buyer interest, processing and the need for clearer information on the commercial potential of the crop.
Researchers noted that one of the current challenges is that Excelsa coffee remains highly variable, with many types known by farmers but not yet formally characterised. This makes it difficult for exporters and other value-chain actors to guarantee consistency in quality, volumes and market positioning.
The scientists said the immediate priority is to generate enough evidence to support the development of a more organised value chain. This includes documenting farmer knowledge, identifying promising genetic material, characterising candidate materials, assessing cup quality, understanding production performance, and working with farmers and private-sector actors to determine what is needed for market development.
The engagement also highlighted the need to select a small number of promising Excelsa types that can be further studied, multiplied and evaluated for production and market use. Such work would help provide farmers with more reliable planting material while giving buyers and exporters greater confidence in quality and consistency.
Speaking during the engagement, Dr. Kiwuka emphasised that the development of Excelsa coffee must be guided by science, farmer experience and market realities. They noted that the crop cannot be promoted sustainably without evidence on agronomy, adaptation, quality, processing, farmer incentives and buyer requirements.
The meeting forms part of a broader effort to position Excelsa coffee within Uganda’s national coffee research and development agenda. The work is expected to contribute to germplasm conservation, scientific characterisation, planting material development, market intelligence, policy engagement and future investment planning.
NARO says the feedback from farmers will be used to guide follow-up activities, including field documentation, identification of candidate mother plants, further evaluation of promising materials, and engagement with partners across the coffee value chain.
The engagement marks an important step in Uganda’s effort to turn Excelsa coffee from a largely underutilised genetic resource into a better understood, better organised and potentially valuable component of the national coffee industry. “NARL’s role is to support national agricultural development through science, evidence and partnerships. This engagement is important because it brings farmers, researchers and value-chain actors together to shape a practical agenda for Excelsa coffee.” Dr Robooni Tumuhimbise, Director of Research-NARO-NARL, said.