Coffee-Banana Agroforestry – a pivotal strategy for fostering economic livelihood opportunities in communities across Uganda’s Mytiana district.

I recently had the honour to participate in a field study with several other scientists from around Africa sponsored by the Agropolis Foundation in partnership with Makerere University to provide a comprehensive understanding of the agricultural landscape in Mytiana, Uganda, with a specific focus on agroforestry systems and, in particular, the unique and remarkable features of the Coffee/Banana agroforestry system which unique to Mytiana and was the main point of study and fascination during the trip. “Coffee-Banana” is a unique and innovative system characterized by the intercropping of different crops in a densely productive and systematically widespread environment that underpins the potential of agroforestry practices in Africa. It combines coffee-banana with cowpeas/ groundnuts, maize, and cassava, all crowned by jackfruit trees that offer many benefits.

This intercropping system can do more with less and provide cash and food from the same piece of land under conditions of land scarcity. The benefits include:

 

• Increased income (from larger coffee berries)
• Coffee plant drought resiliencies (banana shade).
• In situ mulching material for soil health, better maize yield, and food for farmers provided by banana and leguminous crops.
• perennial Jackfruit and bananas harvests providing year-round food and income to farmers.
• livestock integration opportunities
• on-farm animal fodder (banana-based and other crop residue).

 

The primary objective of the Coffee-Banana system is to ensure economic stability and food security for local communities. This agroforestry model serves thousands of households as an economic stronghold, where most of the food crops primarily cater to the dietary needs of local populations. At the same time, the coffee harvests are mostly entirely channelled into commercial trade, serving as vital income sources for farming communities.

The Coffee-Banana agroforestry system, with its diverse crop combinations, plays a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity, addressing local dietary needs, and enhancing food security and climate action. The integration of livestock, such as using oxen for soil preparation and utilizing crop residues as animal fodder, further enhances the sustainability and resilience of this system. Additionally, the system leverages the leaves from jackfruit and banana trees as packaging materials for local products, creating a self-sustaining and productive closed-loop system for the domestic market.

The whole system is highly productive, and we calculated its efficiency: 

Our observations have revealed an important trend: as land size increases, the annual income generated from bananas decreases, while the yearly income from coffee rises. These findings have significant implications for land management and crop selection. Empowered through their experiences, farmers can make informed decisions to reduce chemical inputs, address plant competition and diseases, and prioritize coffee production for income while considering bananas and other crops for food consumption and the local market. 

Critical innovations observed in these farming systems include mixed cropping systems (coffee and banana) with livestock integration (cows). The economic value of these critical innovations is significant. Livestock production (milk and manure) contributes 20% to the income, while crop production (mainly coffee) contributes 80%. These benefits underscore the system’s value and potential for widespread adoption (notably in many other parts of Africa).

We determined the topography, land use systems, and soil from the transect walk landscape observations, satellite imagery, and observations along the transect lines, and the study revealed a brutal contrast between a neighbouring extensive tea estate production system and the Indigenous Coffee-Banana agroforestry systems. This tea estate features vast mono-crop plantations of the Camellia Sinensis shrub, characterized by the systematic picking of leaves for export, predominantly for economic gains, whilst neglecting ecological implications. In stark contrast, the Indigenous Coffee-Banana system, rich in biodiversity, exemplified a more diverse and ecologically sustainable approach to the landscape. The juxtaposition of these two systems, coexisting side by side, showcased a wide divergence in agricultural practices, emphasizing the trade-off between industrial economic gains and community-led livelihood sustainability.

Mono-crop plantations of the Camellia Sinensis shrub and Coffee-Banana Agroforestry Systems coexisting side by side, Mytiana, Uganda – Photo Dr Emeline Assede