Katharina is a participant in the coffee exchange program. The program involved a two-week stay of the German participants in Uganda, where she also stayed with her Ugandan tandem (partner) with an excursion at the National Coffee Research Institute and the National Union of Coffee Agribusiness and Farm Enterprises, NUCAFE.

Left, Katharina, Middle fellow program participant and a researcher at the National Coffee Research Institute, NaCORI.

Hallo, could you introduce yourself?

My name is Katharina Markert. I’m pursuing a masters degree in agricultural economics at Hohenheim University.

What prompted you to sign up for the CoffeeXchange program?

Well, to be honest, it was the first time I heard of such an exchange program, and I really felt like I had the time and the opportunity to do this. Therefore, I didn’t have the chance before for another program. And I actually didn’t know about the three-month internship, for example.

 And I’ve learned a lot about the issues that smallholder farmers face in the global South. But only in theory, like for my studies, and also only from European lecturers. I wanted to get a new perspective and actually interact with farmers and other players in the coffee industry.

Apart from learning about Uganda’s coffee industry, what other aspect triggered your participation?

Besides the coffee industry, I was more interested in the cultural aspect and seeing the practical aspects of what I learned before in my university courses. For my master’s thesis, I was thinking about going to Kenya or South Africa.

I’ve never been to a culture before that was very different from Europe or a country that was completely different. So, I wasn’t sure for myself if I would like how I would feel there. It was good to be here for two weeks and just learn something about myself, and I can cope with it, how I feel about it, and then decide if I want to do this for six months, maybe sometime. or three months.

In this program, we are grouping you in tandems. How do you think this approach is helping you?

 But I think it’s a very good idea because when you’re a big group, like only in big groups for the whole time, then of course you interact with each other.

But there are so many different people, and to focus on one gets, for me, at least, much easier to ask questions and to get lots of information and to see and to learn about their culture, like more intensively than I would when in a group. Yeah, in a group setting.

Additionally, you can learn more about team teamwork when you’re engaging more one on one. So, I think that’s good.

Have you encountered any surprises or shocks during your stay in Uganda? If you have any, would you share them?

 I’m just surprised at how friendly everyone is. I mean, I wasn’t expecting something else. That’s really amazing. But I didn’t really have any idea about it before.

Fellow participants are always telling me so much, you don’t even have to ask, they just come to you and tell you about Uganda, and how much they love their country. It’s very welcoming and I wasn’t expecting that nice surprise.

Do you think exchange programs like the CoffeeXchange have a role they play?

Yes, exchange programs contribute a very big role. Even at my high school, I was in France for two weeks at a very early age; it was included in our studies at school. So, we would live with the people and actually get exposed to their culture and learn the language better if you’re learning the language.

 I think that’s the best thing to do if you’re interested in learning about the ways of life of other countries and cultures. It’s important that when you’re doing an exchange with two persons, for example, both are interested in learning about each other.

The participants observing an instructor at one of the coffee nurseries at NaCORI.

Full interview to be published in the Seed Newsletter Issue 12