CoFET-Retreat accredited as CoFET-Retreat (Oahu iSLAND) Hawai’i, USA in the State of Maryland, USA; is an entrepreneurial coffee science innovations and technologies exchange infrastructure, subsidiary to the Africa Coffee Bureau LLC (Parent company). The science exchange enterprise was launched during the first coffee colloquium hosted at the Hawai’i Agricultural Research Center (HARC) in Oahu Island on June 13, 2022, under the banner “CoFET-Retreat a Launch Tower for Coffee Research Collaboration Between Hawai’i and AFRICA”.

Vision:

Hastened inter-institutional collaborative scientific research innovations and technologies generation-output that solve critical farm production constraints for sustainable grower-household incomes and livelihoods improvement in AFRICA and Hawai’i.

Mission:

lite-entrepreneurial hypertonic novel science pool exchange hub for core inter-institutional collaborative scientific research output enhancement and efficient technologies transfer to consumer farmer-grassroots in AFRICA and Hawai’i.

Purpose:

The creation of CoFET-Retreat is premised on scientific research cooperation between AFRICA and Hawai’i. CoFET-Retreat is purposed to hasten core inter-institutional collaborative scientific research systems novel science generation output that solve critical farm production constraints, and efficiently decentralize technologies to consumer farmer-grassroots for sustainable household incomes and livelihoods improvement in AFRICA and Hawai’i.

Background and Rationale of CoFET-Retreat:

CoFET-Retreat Innovation:

CoFET stands for Coffee Farm Experience Tour. CoFET is refurbished from Farmer Field School (FFS), a concept that was developed in the 1980s in Asia as a platform for farmers to strengthen their knowledge and field management decision skills through a process of hands-on field-based learning (Marjon Fredrix, 2014. Farmer Field Schools and Farmer Empowerment. Int. J. Agr. Ext. Vol. 2[1]. 67-73). The FFS is suggested as an enhancement of group collaboration and exchange of experience, building on local knowledge systems as well as on knowledge generated outside rural communities (Marjon Fredrix, 2014. Farmer Field Schools and Farmer Empowerment. Int. J. Agr. Ext. Vol. 2[1]. 67-73). In the context of CoFET, the activity is essential for African farmers to learn from their peers in Hawai’i, thus, the founding of CoFET-Retreat; which stands for Coffee Farm Experience Tour and Retreat.