Coffee Tourism : a community development tool

Abstract: Smallholder coffee farmers in Tanzania today are facing a deep financial crises. This is the result of several different reasons but one important factor is the political and economic reforms Tanzania has experienced from being one of the strongest socialist states in Africa to one of the most liberalized. For smallholder coffee farmers this has meant dealing with difficult challenges such as big fluctuations in the coffee bean price but it has also meant opportunities. The purpose for this study is to see if, and to what extent coffee tourism can help in community development and be a leverage to the living standard for people who are dealing with this business. In order to do this the authors have conducted a minor field study in the northern part of Tanzania. We argue that coffee tourism can increase and help stabilize income for smallholder coffee farmers through diversification, contribute to community development and work as a counter-force to the structural changes and the crisis that rural areas in Tanzania are dealing with today.