This study aims to understand the systemic constraints faced by Uganda’s coffee industry in attracting finance to
the sector. In search of this understanding, the paper seeks to answer three core questions: (i) what challenges and constraints do smallholder farmers face when attracting finance to the coffee sector? (ii) how have financing delivery mechanisms been utilised thus far, and what can we learn from cases of success or failure? (iii) what policy advice can contribute to lifting constraints that inhibit smallholder access to finance? The study relied on a desktop evidence review, ethnographic observation supplemented by interviews with key interview partners, and modelling assessment that aimed to accurately determine the number of smallholder farmers engaged in Uganda’s coffee industry.