Sugar Campaign for Change (SUCAM)

The coalition was formed to bring together already existing institutions and individuals who were advocating for farmers rights and change in the sugar industry in their individual capacities. The goal was to enhance effectiveness in lobbying and advocating for change through the formation of a united movement of common interests, to ensure that sugarcane farmers in Kenya enjoy a life that is "just, fair and free of poverty." Together, coalition members work to:

• ensure that farmers have a greater say in the management and development of the industry;
• promote participatory management in the sugar sub-sector;
• demand greater accountability and transparency in the management of the sugar industry; and
• enhance efficiency and cost-effective production, processing, and marketing of sugar.

Their approach includes:

• working with institutions and individuals advocating for progressive change in the sugar industry;
• supporting capacity building, strengthening, and democratisation of existing institutional structures in the sugar industry;
• advocating for change and improvement of existing institutions;
• acting as a resource initiative bringing together several stakeholders for the betterment of the industry;
• providing research and information dissemination services to farmers, policymakers, and other stakeholders;
• encouraging and promoting open dialogue between all stakeholders through various forums;
• using networks to reach and inform sugarcane farmers about issues impacting on their lives;
• encourage and promote democracy and transparency at all levels of the sugar industry; and
• highlighting problems and challenges facing the sugar industry.

SUCAM has established a website (under re-development, as of April 2009), which provides information about the sugar industry in Kenya, the network's activities, contacts, an online library, noticeboard, and a discussion forum. In addition, the online SUCAM Learning Zone provides a space for stakeholders to exchange lessons learned and experiences.

SUCAM has a library of documents relevant to the sugar industry in Kenya. Some are available online; others are available through an e-back system that enables users to request a document from the document list and have that document emailed/posted. SUCAM also has a small resource centre available for public use at the SUCAM Office in Kisumu, Kenya.

Membership to SUCAM is open to any institution and individuals who share the same mission and objectives. Membership is free but based on what value each individual or organisation can add to the campaign.

Sustainable Development, Agriculture.

According to SUCAM's website, approximately 5 million people depend on sugarcane farming in Kenya, either directly or indirectly. Outgrowers undertake 88% of the total area farmed for sugarcane in Kenya. The majority are small-scale growers, whilst the remaining area is largely under sugar factories in the form of nucleus estates. There are currently 6 functioning sugar factories in Kenya, of which one is entirely privately owned. The remaining factories are all government-owned. Total production of sugar in Kenya stands at approximately 450,000 metric tons, and production levels seem to be declining. According to SUCAM, the sugar industry in Kenya suffers from a myriad of problems that result in increases in the level of poverty amongst sugarcane farmers. These include: weak representative farmers' institutions; poor and patronage-based management systems; laxity and inefficiency in service provision and payments to farmers; poor marketing and distribution systems; lack of political will to enforce effective sugar import monitoring systems; and weak documentation and information on the industry.

April 2009 update: SUCAM is working on (and seeking to collaborate with others regarding) the following:

• Diversification - Acting from its belief that diversification within the sub-sector is crucial to broaden the revenue base of millers and sugarcane farmers, SUCAM is recommending that the government put in place incentives, supportive policies, and a legal framework to facilitate active participation by strategic investors and millers. Supposing there is shortage feedstock (molasses), alternative raw material like cane juice, cassava, or sweet sorghum can be utilised. Mini cane processing units - e.g., mini jaggeries - or ethanol or syrup production plants can also be pursued. SUCAM claims that energy costs in Kenya are expensive by world standards, and factories dependent on the national grid suffer the consequences. SUCAM is interested in exploring how factories can generate their own electricity - e.g., through co-generation - thereby cutting down on energy costs.
• Promotion of Arbitration Process - Whenever there is an oversupply of cane and poor coordination of harvesting and transport programmes, corrupt practices creep in, SUCAM states. Transport-related issues can be resolved by making binding transport contracts under general Sugar Industry Agreements, SUCAM suggests. Observing that sugarcane farmers cannot sustain their livelihoods when they cannot maintain steady cash flow due to delayed payment, SUCAM recommends that the sugar companies adhere to the stated 30 day-post-delivery payments. Otherwise, the cases should be promptly taken up before the Sugar Arbitration Tribunal. The sugar millers should also ensure steady cash flow through transparent sales and diversification of product base. Furthermore, because "sugar cane farmers have often suffered from unforeseen calamities especially drought and cane fires with no mechanism for compensation", SUCAM argues that crop insurance should be incorporated in the Sugar Act (Amendment) 2007. SUCAM recommends other measures to ensure that standards of good governance and ethics be met. For example, SUCAM notes that numerous complaints about inaccurate weighbridge records and declared underweight have been voiced; thus, weighbridges should be calibrated on schedule and the cut-to-deliver period should be minimised to avert dry cane loss. Post-harvest losses (e.g., direct spillage, dry rejected canes, unaccounted-for stacks, theft en route to the factories) represent another financial drain on the sugar cane farmers, so sugar cane should be weighed at farm gate - as per Sugar Act (Amendment) 2007.
  
• Privatisation of the Industry - According to SUCAM, sugar industry institutions are heavily indebted to financial institutions, suppliers, and service providers, and are unable to meet their financial obligations and commitment. It is recommended that non-performing industry debts inclusive of interest and levies be systematically written off to pave the way for fresh cash injection. Lack of commitment by the government to support tangible reforms in the sub-sector, SUCAM asserts, forced the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat to attach a mechanism for administering and monitoring the implementation of the undertakings on which the extension is premised. The COMESA safeguard protection is administered by the government-led Sugar Safeguard Committee, which is mandated with facilitating the sector's reforms. It is responsible for providing leadership with respect to privatisation of state-owned firms, adoption of bio-energy, and research on varieties and sugarcane price based on quality, infrastructure development, and poverty reduction initiatives. In this regard, the Cabinet in December 2008 approved privatisation of state corporations - amongst them 5 state owned sugar companies, whereby identification for the consultant for privatisation of sugar companies is ongoing.
• Gender and Food Security - Population pressure (majority being youth and women) and land fragmentation have drastically reduced farm size available for sugarcane growing. In order to maintain farm sizes conducive to mechanise for operations, SUCAM states, sugar cane farmers should embrace block farming and allow space for food crop production. Women and youth should be involved in the decision making in the industry.