The following will be treated as cross cutting issues and the association will mainstream identified issues in all the operations.

The association’s key method of realizing the strategic objectives is through lobbying the government and all stakeholders in the Coffee industry and advocating issues that affect coffee farmers. KCPA will continue to lobby for an enabling environment supportive of the development of the coffee sector. Some of the issues which require immediate lobbying are listed and others will be emerging issues. The association will embrace dialogue in most cases and only resort to activism when this fails to work.

The research component will be taken seriously to support effective lobbying as it will provide accurate information on the issues and alternative solutions in addressing the issues. The executive council members, the CEO, the board of trustees, and the district representative will continue to build their capacities in lobbying and advocacy to ensure they are effective as the voice of the farmers.

Gender inequalities exist in the coffee sector at various levels. Women are mainly the providers of labour but have little access and control over the income from coffee. In addition, the leadership in the cooperative societies including in KCPA is dominated by men. In actual sense, coffee is perceived as a man’s crop while women and children supply labour without congruent benefits. This gender inequality contributes to extreme poverty among the women and is an injustice that requires to be addressed by all the institutions currently deliberating on coffee issues and the KCPA.

The association will work to ensure that coffee cooperatives and estate owners embrace gender sensitive policies and affirmative action to include women in leadership. It will also sensitize coffee farmers on the need for equity in the sharing of income from the crop.

The effects of HIV/AIDS are felt in every sector. In the coffee sector, there is a continuous loss of productive labour from deaths from the disease and worsening poverty levels as the meager household income is used to take care of the sick and the orphaned. Activities to curb the spread of the disease will include awareness creation during meetings and seminars while printed materials will also bear modules with information on HIV/AIDS and its effects to the coffee industry. The association will collaborate with agencies with extensive focus on HIV/AIDS.

Collaboration and networking will be enhanced with local and international organizations dealing with agriculture and marketing. The government is the key collaborator in the coffee industry since the sector is yet to be fully liberalized. The association will embrace dialogue to ensure the voice of the farmers is heard in all issues relating to the coffee sector.

The coffee Sector is known for apparently engaging in child labour. Children who are in search of a livelihood end up being hired for low pay to work on coffee farms. As a result, those children miss the opportunity to better their lives through education. The association will sensitise the members to shun child labour and instead encourage the children to take advantage of the free primary education policies currently being implemented. The association aims to collaborate with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other organizations in advocating against child labour.

Key results

The association will have increased membership from across the country. This will enhance the voice of the coffee farmers and ensure they are involved in policy formulation and decision making on coffee issues. By uniting the coffee farmers, they will be able to take advantage of the current opportunities: for example direct marketing of the coffee by farmers through the second window.

Increased members will translate into a stronger financial base as members earn better incomes and pay their annual subscriptions in a timely manner.

This will allow effective implementation of the strategic plan, hence delivery of services to members. Increased delivery of services will ensure members develop loyalty and confidence in the association.

District and/or regional meetings and use of electronic media will result in improved publicity and promotion of the association. This visibility will assist in recruiting new members, educating the general public on the role of the association and ensuring that all the stakeholders in the coffee sector take the association seriously.

Sustainability of the Activities
Recruitment of the members will be an on – going activity. The association will work closely with the media through press briefs, radio programs and coverage of association events to sustain its visibility and enhance communication to the members. Funds raised through increased membership will facilitate meetings, including the annual general meetings. These funds will also cover costs and continuous training of staff and members of the governance organs. It is expected that donor partners will support implementation of the strategic plan once it rolls out.

Organisation Structure
The association organs of management and governance will be strengthened to facilitate implementation of the strategic plan. The annual general meeting, the board of trustees, committees for specific tasks such as the industrial labour committee and the Finance and the administration committee and the Executive council will take the lead in implementing the plan.

The association is headed by the Chief Executive Officer and there is an office assistant. Two additional staff, the labour relations officer and researcher with economic/marketing background, will be recruited to assist in the implementation of the strategic plan.