Home » CoFET-Retreat (Oahu Island)

Introduction

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.

Economic Significance of Coffee:

Coffee is the most important tropical agricultural commodity traded worldwide and, only second to oil. The industry employs about 26 million people in 52 producing countries (International Coffee Organization, 2010), with 11 million hectares estimated as world’s farmland dedicated to coffee cultivation (National Coffee Association, 2011). The world coffee supply chain, the United States $88Bn (SCA report 2018: US Coffee Market Overview) retail inclusive, is dependent on smallholders who bulk together as least as 15lbs to consolidate the much-needed global demand volumes of green bean, usually between 153 – 167 million 60kg bags per annum. In the fiscal year 2015 alone, coffee contributed to the United States GDP an estimated $225.2Bn (www.ncausa.org/Research-Trends/Economic-Impact). The impact of coffee in the United States commodity retail structure is really a high stake, the roasting segment alone accounts for $48Bn, coffeehouses retail controls $26.3Bn and, the At-home brewing stands at $14Bn (SCA report 2018: US Coffee Market Overview). In Hawai’i, coffee year 2020/2021, the cultivated acreage was 6900, producing 5.24 million pounds of green bean that translated into $97.988M (USDA-NASS Report 2020/2021). In Africa, the agricultural sector remains significant, and accounting for 23 per cent of the continent’s GDP with food and agricultural exports averaging at US$35Bn – US$40Bn annually, coffee inclusive (https://www.cabi.org/news-article/building-the-post-covid-19-resilience-for-africas-coffee-sector/). In regional East Africa, coffee is the predominant source of income for most smallholder farmers (Robusta Quality Markers in Africa: ICRAF-USDA/ARS Annual Report 2006). Majority of smallholder farms however, are women led, ranging from 150 – 400 coffee trees and, depend on it for social security; implying they harvest the coffee, store it and, only sell to obtain food, medical care and child education (https://africacoffeebureau.us/founder/). And, nationally, producer nations’ GDP growth and foreign exchange earnings are extensively reliant on coffee.  For Kenya, in the coffee year 2021, it fetched $229M from just 36,163MT (586,050 60kg bags) of Arabica grade, (Kenya Bureau of Statistics Report, 2021); and Uganda’s 6.55 million 60kg bags of both Robustas and Arabicas export, translated into $657.23M (UCDA Report, 2021). The sample trade figures cited in a few coffee-national scenarios above, reaffirm the economic significance of the commodity value chain. The trade statistics also reveals the need and serves as a caution to sector development agencies to safeguard the integrity of the value chain by developing policies that embrace all players if the commodity derived GDP growth is to spur exponentially.

CoFET-Retreat underlying Rationale:

Although farmers are resilient on farm and continue to cope with the tall order of production constraints in more less in isolation, and for many reasons, because of the inappropriate and unsustainable technology transfer mechanisms. The problem is not lack of remedy or necessary science. There usually exists remedial scientific revelations either as novel science, improved technologies or entirely rare indigenous knowledge that can work responsively disruptive of counter-reactive pathways of several biotic and abiotic production constraints in agricultural, livestock and fisheries value chains. The missing link is the prompt methods to adequately and timely decentralize the at hand much needed science innovations and technologies from core scientific research knowledge generation systems to end user farmer-grassroots. The CoFET-Retreat hypothesizes to uniquely disrupt some of these chronic challenges hampering prompt delivery of science innovations and technologies to the farming communities. The CoFET-Retreat rationale proliferates the spirit of Norman Borlaug “Take it to the Farmers” (https://www.cimmyt.org/people/bram-govaerts/).

CoFET-Retreat innovation is based on three theories hypothesized to regulate technology transfer for sustainable agricultural production; thus, novelty, scarcity and scattered.

  1. Novelty: There exists novel science (brand new technologies) but, it is not rolled-out where it’s necessarily needed for use.
  2. Scarcity: There exists indigenous and scientific knowledge (novel and improved technologies) but, it is deliberately not communicated or, there is lack of appropriate mechanisms to decentralize it to end user farmer-grassroots.
  3. Scattered: There exists indigenous and scientific knowledge but, it is not evenly distributed for access by end user farmer-grassroots.

The limping in science innovations and technologies dissemination from knowledge generation centers to badly in need end users at farm, is the motivation for the creation of CoFET-Retreat (Oahu iSLAND) Hawai’i, USA. The science exchange enterprise is praised to deliver efficient and appropriate innovative technologies of high impact farm production, productivity, and profitability; from core scientific research knowledge generation systems to consumer smallholder farmer-grassroots in Africa and Hawai’i.

Problem Statement:

The coffee supply chain depends on smallholders who bulk together as least as 15lbs of green bean to consolidate the much-needed global demand volumes, usually ranging between 153 – 167 million 60kg bags per annum. The collapse of smallholder farmers due to negligence and, enormously because of inappropriate and unsustainable technologies transfer mechanisms, should worry everyone. Uganda’s Robusta coffee and cocoa industry alone is at a huge degradation by BCTB. To put it in context, BCTB accounts for 8‧6% primary branches death on coffee trees, resulting in green bean yield loss of 8‧6%, estimated at US$40M annually, in Uganda alone (https://www.agritrop.cirad.fr/579968/ ; Impact of the black coffee twig borer and farmer’s coping mechanisms in Uganda: Survey Report 2013). One of the foremost and key bottlenecks hindering progress in smallholder farmers is the dim access and decentralization of appropriate technologies and innovations prompt to avert most of the farm production crises. There is usually new knowledge either as improved technologies or entirely novel sciences. The other problem, particular to Africa, is the lower grade of science infrastructure and limited funding for research progression. Instituting CoFET-Retreat is postulated to leverage established global scientific infrastructural entities and universities, to foster joint research consultative agenda, technical capacity building, and exchange programs with Africa. CoFET-Retreat model is benchmarked to nurture a scientific research and sector development cooperation between Hawai’i and AFRICA to ensure the industry sustainability and farmer livelihoods improvement in AFRICA, Hawai’i, and elsewhere in the world.

CoFET-Retreat Model:

CoFET-Retreat is conceptualized in the Africa Coffee Bureau (ACB) business model, the MOT model (https://africacoffeebureau.us/mot-ive-model/), encapsulated the niche traceability facility development element.

Niche traceability facility.

This is the central linkage facility galvanizing the other 3 development elements in the MOT-model and houses the ACB entrepreneurship bureau and CoFET-Retreat.

Justification for niche traceability facility:

Coffee price remains one of the key bottlenecks in the progress of smallholders in grower communities, Africa inclusive, and is meddled by the middleman. Middlemen continue to set the price and, farmers remain price takers without concessional agreements. The second important problem; although African coffee collections are exceptionally flavorful and aromatic, remain unknown to the United States retail market. The lack of promotional vigor by African farmer co-operatives to trigger responsiveness from industrial consumer markets like the United States comparative to other producer nations like Colombia or Brazil, is a deadlock. The third important problem hampering prosperity in smallholders across grower communities and continents, is the need for sustainable science innovations and technology exchange transfer mechanisms to defeat urgent and recurring production constraints like pests, diseases, and the ruin of climate change. Thus, the requirement for sustainable science innovations dissemination, and decentralization to farmer-grassroots best-bet via CoFET-Retreat as conceptualized in the ACB business model (MOT Model), is urging. The endgame of CoFET-Retreat is to propel farm production, productivity, and profitability to realize uplifting of standards of living conditions of the farming families especially those entangled in the 150 – 400 coffee tree plot-farm model. The postulation above, informs the underlying rationale for CoFET-Retreat installation. Besides, the niche traceability facility in the MOT model, is crucially conceptualized to spur profiling vigor of the different African origin coffee collections in the United States, a key revolutionary process in the creation and traceability of novel niche markets with incentive rewards.

The minimum viable problem being addressed under CoFET-Retreat is 2-fold:

  1. Technology transfer: In the 1980s, a concept of Farmer Field School (FFS) was first developed 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). CoFET-Retreat (Oahu Island) Hawai’i, USA; is a restoration of FFS. In the context of CoFET (Coffee Farm Experience Tour), the activity is essential for African stakeholders to learn from their peers in Hawai’i, thus, the founding of CoFET-Retreat (Oahu Island) Hawai’i, USA a subsidiary of ACB (Parent company), is to undertake knowledge and skills learning right on-farm. The process will hasten core inter-institutional collaborative scientific research systems novel science generation output that solves critical farm production constraints, and efficiently decentralize technologies to consumer farmer-grassroots for sustainable household incomes and livelihoods improvement in AFRICA and Hawai’i

Proposition:

Disruptive:

  • Hawai’i – AFRICA cooperation is justifiable “If we want to solve the global challenges of our time, we need global solidarity and, a partnership-based cooperation between industrialized and developing countries” (https://www.unido.org/news/19th-session-unido-general-conference-new-leader-organization-primed-build-better-future), personal communication of Gerd Müller, Director General of UNIDO. Global coffee is at stake with enormous recurring production constraints. Thus, CoFET-Retreat is nurturing a collaborative scientific research agender between Hawai’i – AFRICA to hasten generation of technologies for global coffee production sustainability.
  • There is need for Hawai’i and Africa to work together to enhance joint technical backstopping, to end CLR together, to pursue exchange programs and technology transfer together for the benefit of the farming families in both geographical societies.

Discontinuous:

Defensible:

Participating Institutions at Inaugural CoFET-Retreat in Oahu Island:

  1. Hawaii Agricultural Research Centre (HARC).
  2. University of Hawaii (UH).
  3. Coffee Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Kenya.
  4. Sugar Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Kenya.
  5. National Coffee Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Uganda.
  6. Senator Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS).
  7. Hawai’i Department of Agriculture (HDoA).
  8. Hawai’i Specialty Coffee Association.
  9. CoFET-Retreat (Oahu Island) Hawai’i, USA.