Drawing on Volcafe's extensive network of gender programs across coffee-producing regions, this presentation will discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by different approaches to building gender equity (e.g., GALS, VSLAs, games) and how these approaches can be used to boost adoption of other sustainable practices, including regenerative agriculture and child education, as well as to create business value. The focus will be on Uganda and Tanzania, with additional examples from 1-2 countries in Latin America.

Presenter

Anneke Fermont is a Sustainability Manager at Volcafe. Having led the sustainability team of Kyagalanyi Coffee Ltd in Uganda since 2011, she joined the company’s global sustainability team in 2022. Anneke likes to develop innovative ideas and practical solutions that create positive impact in the lives of farmers, while making business sense. She believes in the strength of integrating social themes (gender, education) with regenerative practices to build resilient farms and secure a living income for coffee families. Before joining the coffee sector, Anneke worked as a farming systems agronomist with agricultural research institutes in Uganda, Senegal and South Africa.