Problem

Following the decade-long decline in Tanzania's coffee industry -- made worse by the global coffee crisis -- the vast majority of Tanzania's 400,000 smallholder growers were trapped in a vicious cycle of ever-worsening production and quality. Poor farming practices serve to lock coffee growers into a declining spiral: as they earn less and less, growers are increasingly unable to make the necessary on-farm investments, and coffee quality and volumes suffer.

The Gift

TechnoServe has supported the Tanzanian coffee industry in its transformation from a low-quality coffee producing nation to a source of the world’s finest boutique specialty coffees. The transition to higher quality arabica beans will lead to higher incomes for Tanzanian coffee farmers, allowing the to pay for education and health care for their family and communities. A $50 gift will provide entrepreneurship and quality improvement training for one coffee farmer.