Low yields
The ICO reported average yields of about 400 kg per hectare in Africa, with very little fertiliser use. Old varieties are vulnerable to leaf rust and the berry borer, and technical advice reaches few farmers.
Coffee
More than ten million African households depend on coffee, yet yields remain low and young people are turning away from the crop. Sankora helps cooperatives and exporters rejuvenate coffee farms, pay for quality and meet the EUDR.
Coffee
Coffee, a smallholder crop
According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), coffee is the main source of income for more than ten million households in 25 African countries. It brings vital foreign currency to several economies on the continent.
Africa accounted for about 11.6% of world coffee exports in 2024/25, driven by Uganda and Ethiopia. Producing countries are aiming for a larger share by 2030.
In Côte d'Ivoire, robusta coffee was long a flagship crop alongside cocoa. Output has fallen sharply since the 1980s and its revival depends on renewing coffee farms.
> 10 millionAfrican households depend on coffeeSource: ICO, Overview of the coffee sector in Africa (ICC 114-5, 2015)
≈ 11.6%of world exports come from AfricaSource: Ecofin Agency, African coffee exports 2024/25 (ICO data)
≈ 72,000 tof coffee produced in Côte d'Ivoire in 2024Source: Économie ivoirienne, industrial and export agriculture
Where it is grown in Africa
Africa's main coffee countries
East Africa now dominates production. West and Central Africa mainly grow robusta.
EthiopiaAfrica's largest producer, birthplace of arabica, nearly 6 million coffee farmers.
UgandaAfrica's leading exporter in 2024/25, mostly robusta.
TanzaniaAfrica's third exporter, arabica and robusta.
Côte d'IvoireMajor historical robusta producer, now rebuilding output.
KenyaSpecialty arabicas sought after by roasters.
CameroonRobusta and arabica, output declining since the 2000s.
The value chain's challenges
What is holding back Africa's coffee revival
Ageing farms and farmers
Many coffee trees are past their productive age. Young people are turning away from a crop seen as poorly paid.
Prices, quality and income
World prices are volatile and labour makes up most production costs. Without quality measurement at the buying point, well-picked and well-dried coffee is often paid like ordinary coffee.
Child labour
Ivorian coffee, like cocoa, appears on the U.S. Department of Labor list of goods produced with child labour. Buyers expect monitoring measures.
Tracing small, scattered volumes
Coffee is collected from many smallholders. Linking each lot to geolocated plots requires rigorous organisation.
Climate
Coffee, and arabica above all, copes poorly with rising temperatures and drought. Suitable growing areas are shifting and farmers need to plan ahead.
What markets require
Consistent, graded quality (grade, defects, cup), homogeneous lots, known origin and certifications (Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, organic). Specialty coffee also rewards each lot's story, and the European market requires EUDR compliance.
How Sankora helps you
How Sankora can help improve the coffee value chain
Technology does not solve everything. Here is what Sankora can practically put in place in this value chain, with simple, reliable tools, to know the field better, track actions and prove results.
Link every bag to its coffee plots
Farmers and coffee plots are registered and checked, every purchase is linked to its plot: the coffee delivered to the exporter is EUDR-ready.
Farmer and plot register Purchasing and lot traceability EUDR compliance
Pay for quality at the point of purchase
Moisture and grade are recorded at each weighing and linked to the lot. Farmers understand why their coffee earns more, and the cooperative builds consistent lots.
Track stumping and replanting
Each stumped or replanted coffee plot is recorded with its date and number of seedlings. Volumes delivered in later seasons show whether yields recover.