Improving Kenya’s coffee value chain and sector reforms through Sustainable Consumption and Production Practices integration

Abstract

Coffee is an essential player in Kenya’s agricultural sector, yet it has suffered a steady decline in production in the past 40 years. Addressing the sector’s challenges can also advance the UN 2030 Agenda’s 12th Sustainable Development Goal, which is to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns,” by incorporating Sustainable Consumption and Production Practices (SCPs) in the coffee value chain. This policy brief explores the potential integration of SCPs across the coffee production chain. We present SCPs that emerged from a series of focus group discussions, stakeholder consultations and surveys, which will minimize environmental impacts and maximize productivity and worker welfare. We also summarize capacity-building measures and financial support required to implement the SCPs at scale. Adopting the recommended solutions can both boost Kenya’s coffee industry and put the sector on a path toward greater environmental sustainability.