Crop to Cup Forum

[brooke@croptocup.com]

I've seen lots of pictures of farmers and their families. Do children help out on the coffee farms? What kinds of jobs do they do?

[Fresh Grind]

I know that school-age kids are responsible for gathering water and wood for the household. I also have observed children helping their fathers and mothers to pick coffee from their gardens during harvest.

As trees are passed on from parent to child, this seems like good training.

When their gardens are big, or when kids are away at school in a different part of the country (common - not many village schools past primary levels), then farmers hire seasonal help.

In that many people retire back to their home village, coffee is often a multi-generational pension plan.

That's about all I know on this; I'll see if one of the Ugandan representatives has anything to contribute.

[mungaits]

Dear all,

I work with smallholder coffee producers in East Africa and would like to share my two cents worth!

Fresh Grind is very right on the use of family labour in coffee farming. Ideally children help their parents in the farms in the evening, weekends and during school holidays. This ensure that the expertise is passed on to the next generation and provides continuity in the farming sector when these kids inherit the coffee farms!

However parents only allow children to carry out activities which do not endanger their health or safety e.g Spraying. Additionally the parents supervise the kids at all times.

I hope this helped.

Sam