In the thick tropical canopy of the Zoka Central Forest Reserve, where towering trees shield wildlife and streams snake through dense vegetation, grows a rare wild coffee that conservationists believe could hold significance beyond northern Uganda.
For generations, the indigenous community living alongside the forest was aware of the wild coffee growing beneath its canopy. After years of conservation struggles and advocacy, the Excelsa coffee variety, now known as Zoka Coffee has now received a name that ties it directly to its ancestral home.
The decision to formally recognise the rare coffee variety was made by the Adjumani District Council. Environmentalists and researchers say it could elevate the global scientific importance of the forest while strengthening conservation efforts in one of Uganda’s most threatened ecological reserves.
The resolution, passed during an ordinary council meeting, followed a petition by Friends of Zoka, a local conservation organisation that has spent nearly a decade campaigning to protect the forest from destruction caused by illegal logging, charcoal burning, and agricultural encroachment.
‘Zoka Forest has sheltered this coffee for millennia. Its name now dignifies its location and the Madi community heritage. This was long overdue,’ said Angelo Izama, the board chairman of Friends of Zoka.
A forest under pressure
Located in Adjumani District in northern Uganda, the Zoka Central Forest Reserve is one of the last remaining tropical forests in the West Nile sub-region.
The reserve is home to diverse plant and animal species and has long been regarded by environmentalists as ecologically sensitive. But for years, the forest has faced increasing threats from human activity. Friends of Zoka emerged in 2016 as one of the leading voices defending the forest.
Through advocacy campaigns, community engagement, and partnerships with government institutions and cultural leaders, the organisation has sought to draw national attention to the destruction unfolding in the reserve.
The Council’s resolution turns a conservation argument into public policy. William Leslie Amanzuru, the team leader of Friends of Zoka said, ‘Naming Zoka Coffee focuses scientific attention on the forest, creates an identity that conservation can rally around, and gives local communities a direct stake in protecting what grows there.
World watching wild coffee
In 2023, Kyagalanyi Coffee Limited (KCL) purchased 5,508 kilogrammes of Excelsa coffee from 13 farmers in Luwero District at Shs4,810 per kilogramme of dried cherry. Due to the increasing demand, in 2024/25 KCL bought 5,256kgs of dried cherry at Shs7,000 per kilogramme and 3,510kgs of parchment at Shs18,000 per kilogramme. This demonstrates the feasible market interest and demand.
Globally, scientists are increasingly turning their attention to wild coffee species as climate change threatens commercial coffee production.
The global coffee industry, valued at more than $460b, largely depends on Arabica and Robusta varieties. But rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, pests, and diseases are placing these crops under growing pressure.
Researchers believe wild coffee species may contain critical genetic traits such as drought tolerance, disease resistance, and unique flavour characteristics that could help secure the future of coffee production worldwide. Conservationists say the newly named Zoka Coffee could eventually attract international botanical research and scientific classification.
The Adjumani District Council resolution directs technical departments, through the office of the chief administrative officer to engage national authorities, the National Agricultural Research Organisation, and civil society groups to formalise the naming according to national and international scientific standards.
Hope for communities
Beyond science and conservation, local leaders believe the recognition could create economic opportunities for communities surrounding the forest.
Environmental advocates argue that formal recognition may open doors for eco-tourism, geographical indication protections, sustainable coffee branding, and conservation-linked livelihoods that could benefit residents while discouraging forest destruction.
For the Madi community, whose ancestral territory includes the forest, the naming also carries cultural significance.
As the world searches for solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss, conservationists in Adjumani hope the story of a wild coffee hidden for centuries beneath the Zoka forest canopy could become a powerful reason to save one of Uganda’s disappearing forests. It is about ensuring that the forest and the communities connected to it are no longer overlooked.
The Adjumani District Agriculture Officer, Mr Charles Lagu, on Monday described the coffee as a unique indigenous variety with great potential for both conservation and commercial production if deliberate domesticated and promoted.
About Exclesa Coffee
According to the National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro), Excelsa Coffee Variety naturally grows in the wild within Zoka Central Forest Reserve and Semuliki National Park.
It says, some farmers, especially in central Uganda, have been cultivating the crop with limited scientific guidance. The ongoing research seeks to provide improved varieties and evidence-based recommendations to support farmers and expand Uganda’s coffee diversity and resilience.