Course Name
SDG 9 in Coffee Education: Innovation, Infrastructure & Sustainable Value Creation at Origin
Course Overview
SDG 9 in Coffee Education is an integrative, practice-led course championed by Kenya Coffee School to empower coffee producers, youth, cooperatives, and agribusiness professionals with the skills needed to drive innovation, resilient infrastructure, and inclusive industrialization at origin.
Grounded in UN Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), the course transforms coffee from a raw commodity into a knowledge-based rural industry—placing producers at the center of value creation.
Course Rationale
Across Kenya and the wider coffee belt, producers face declining margins, climate pressure, and limited access to technology. This course responds by positioning coffee education as infrastructure—the missing link between farms and sustainable rural industries.
Kenya Coffee School leads this approach by integrating:
- Coffee science & quality systems
- Value addition & processing technologies
- Digital tools & traceability
- Entrepreneurship & cooperative innovation
All aligned with SDG 9 and tailored to local Kenyan realities.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, learners will be able to:
- Interpret SDG 9 and apply it practically within coffee value chains
- Design producer-led coffee infrastructure models (washing stations, micro-mills, labs)
- Implement innovation in processing, quality, and post-harvest systems
- Enable inclusive industrialization through origin-based value addition
- Use digital tools for traceability, quality data, and market access
- Develop sustainable, climate-smart coffee enterprises
Target Participants
- Smallholder coffee farmers & producer groups
- Cooperative leaders & factory managers
- Youth and women in agribusiness
- Extension officers & development practitioners
- Coffee entrepreneurs & startups
- Sustainability and supply chain professionals
Course Structure & Modules
Module 1: Understanding SDG 9 Through Coffee
- SDG 9 explained in a coffee context
- Coffee as a rural industrial ecosystem
- From commodity to knowledge-based value chains
Module 2: Producer-Level Infrastructure Development
- Washing stations, milling, grading & storage
- Quality labs & cupping infrastructure
- Community ownership & maintenance models
Module 3: Innovation in Coffee Production & Processing
- Fermentation science & processing methods
- Quality differentiation & sensory evaluation
- Climate-smart and regenerative practices
Module 4: Inclusive Industrialization & Value Addition
- Roasting at origin & micro-roasteries
- Packaging, branding & compliance
- Cooperative enterprises & SME scaling
Module 5: Digital Coffee Systems & Traceability
- Digital quality records & farm data
- Traceability, certifications & transparency
- Market intelligence & producer empowerment
Module 6: Entrepreneurship, Policy & Sustainability
- Coffee business models aligned with SDG 9
- Financing rural innovation
- Aligning producer initiatives with national policy & the United Nations SDG framework
Learning Approach
- Practice-based classroom and field training
- Hands-on sessions in labs, farms, and factories
- Case studies from Kenyan coffee regions
- Group projects designing real producer solutions
- Mentorship by Kenya Coffee School trainers
Assessment & Certification
- Applied project (producer-level SDG 9 solution)
- Practical evaluations (quality, processing, innovation)
- Written reflection & business concept
- Certificate of Completion issued by Kenya Coffee School
Career & Impact Outcomes
Graduates will be equipped to:
- Lead innovation within coffee cooperatives
- Establish value-addition enterprises
- Support sustainable rural infrastructure projects
- Work in development, sustainability, and supply chains
- Champion SDG-aligned coffee education locally and globally
Why Kenya Coffee School
Kenya Coffee School is a continental leader in integrative coffee education, uniquely positioned to bridge global sustainability frameworks with local producer realities. Through this course, the school reinforces its role as a living laboratory for SDG 9, where education directly translates into infrastructure, innovation, and livelihoods.
Topics :
- Coffee, Innovation & SDG 9: Building Resilient Producer Economies
- From Farm to Industry: SDG 9 Applied in Coffee Education
- Producer-Led Coffee Innovation & Infrastructure (SDG 9 Focus)