Pre-Harvesting and Harvesting Management Practices Affecting Coffee Quality in Kasaana Sub-County, Sheema District

Abstract

The study focused on analyzing the effect of coffee pre-harvesting and harvesting management practices on coffee quality in Kasaana sub-county, Sheema district. It was guided by one objective which was to; establish coffee pre-harvest and harvest management practices that improve coffee quality. he study employed a cross-sectional research design. The study considered the sample size of 206 respondents. The study employed simple random sampling and purposive sampling to select categories of respondents. The study used questionnaires and interview guide to collect data. The data was analysed using SPSS version 22.0. The study concludes that both pre-harvest and harvest practices significantly improve coffee quality. Notably, harvesting method, pruning, and timing practices are the most impactful. The study recommends that, training programs should be intensified to educate farmers on the importance of selective handpicking of ripe cherries, as it has the greatest impact on coffee quality, local agricultural extension officers should support farmers with seasonal pruning calendars and demonstrations to encourage frequent and well timed pruning, which improves canopy health and productivity, awareness campaigns should be launched to emphasize harvesting only ripe cherries and avoiding strip picking and there is a need to constantly promote Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques among coffee farmers through farmer field schools and subsidies on eco-friendly pest control inputs.