'Plan or die' was the blunt but powerful take-home-message from the coffee workshop on sustainable agriculture. Consultant Charles Kabuga used the message to explain the importance of making plans for sustainable livelihoods to the participants. He was one of the speakers at the workshop which had 24 producers drawn from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Key topics of discussion centered on the internal and external threads to agricultural cooperatives, their challenges in financing and how strategic planning will support their risk management.

In second session climate change and opportunities of the carbon market for producers were discussed. External speakers were invited to give background and technical information to producers, and share their expertise and practical experiences. A practical overview about carbon credits was presented by James Gathage from Carbon Leaf. The producers learned about the opportunity the carbon market has to offer, especially for small-scale farmers.