Mountain Harvest

Despite coffee’s importance to Uganda’s economy, smallholder farmers often face poverty due to low market prices and limited access to infrastructure, training, and financing. As a result, they are forced to sell their coffee at low prices to traders who primarily supply commodity markets, keeping farmer incomes low.

Mountain Harvest, a social enterprise in the Mount Elgon region, is working to change this by sourcing high-quality Arabica coffee from farmers and paying prices that are 30% higher than the local market rate. The additional margin allows Mountain Harvest to invest in farm-level improvements, provide hands-on training, and help farmers produce premium coffee that can compete in international specialty markets.

With this loan, Mountain Harvest will purchase 60,000 kg of parchment coffee, supporting over 1,250 farmers with fair prices that improve their incomes and long-term resilience. Additionally, sustainable coffee farming helps protect the environment—coffee trees support biodiversity, enrich soil health, and contribute to carbon sequestration.

By creating a more equitable and sustainable coffee supply chain, Mountain Harvest is not just improving farmer livelihoods—it’s helping to protect Uganda’s natural ecosystem while elevating the country’s place in the global specialty coffee industry.