A taxonomy of barriers to the adoption of sustainable practices in the coffee farming process

Abstract

This paper examines the barriers to adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAPs) in smallholder coffee farming in Kenya. Previous studies identify several barriers, but there is limited research on where these barriers exist at different stages of the coffee farming operation processes i.e. nurseries for seed germination, planting, growing, and harvesting. The study seeks to examine whether barriers to SAPs adoption differ for different stages of coffee farming process, and if so, how. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 32 small-scale coffee farmers in the Nyeri county in Kenya, a qualitative investigation was performed, from which several themes emerged depicting key barriers to adoption of SAPs. Based on our findings, we develop a classification system (taxonomy) illustrating the barrier types that hinder the adoption of different SAPs at different stages of the coffee farming process. Such distinctions can help policymakers, NGOs and researchers recommend interventions tailored to help increase adoption of sustainable practices in coffee farming.