An official delegation from the University of Trieste took part in Mbeya, Tanzania, in the launch event of the international development cooperation project Towards the next generation of sustainable quality coffee producers in South Tanzania (TNG), funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and coordinated by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.

The mission, which took place in the Mbeya region, in the Southern Highlands, marked an important step in the operational launch of the 36-month project and in the strengthening of institutional, scientific and educational relations between the University of Trieste and local partners. UniTS is involved in the project through three of its Departments – IUSLIT, DEAMS and DSV – confirming the interdisciplinary nature of the University’s contribution. The official delegation in Tanzania was composed of Prof. Ilaria Micheli, from the Department of Legal, Language, Interpreting and Translation Studies, coordinator of the project activities planned by the University, and Dr Matteo Carzedda, from the Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics.

The TNG project is based on a broad partnership that brings together, alongside the University of Trieste, Illycaffè, the Ernesto Illy Foundation, the Bari branch of CIHEAM – Mediterranean Agronomic Institute, the Regions of Mbeya, Songwe and Ruvuma, and the civil society organisation Café Africa – Tanzanian Branch.

The project aims to reach at least 12,000 local coffee producers in Southern Tanzania, contributing to the improvement of the production chain and to the development of a more sustainable, informed and resilient model. Within this framework, the role of UniTS is twofold, combining applied scientific research and knowledge transfer.

The research activities will focus on understanding the effects of climate change on the territory and identifying possible mitigation strategies, with the contribution of Giovanni Bacaro and Alberto Pallavicini from DSV; enhancing local practices and facilitating communication between farmers and trainers through the creation of multilingual technical-cultural vocabularies and manuals, under the coordination of Ilaria Micheli; and identifying economic and agricultural strategies suited to the local context, with the aim of strengthening farmers and improving the value of the raw material in the early stages of the value chain, with the contribution of Matteo Carzedda, Gianluigi Gallenti, Giuseppe Borruso and Barbara Campisi. Based on the evidence emerging from the research activities, the most appropriate content and methods will be defined for the training of local stakeholders and beneficiaries.

The official launch of the project took place in the conference hall of the Eden Highlands Hotel in Mbeya, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Tanzania, Giuseppe Sean Coppola, a UniTS alumnus; Paolo Razzini, AICS representative in Tanzania; Stefano Zannier, Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Councillor for Agri-food, Forestry, Fishery and Mountain Resources; the highest authorities of the governments of the three Southern Tanzanian Regions involved in the project; and representatives of the Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST) and the Catholic University of Mbeya (CUoM), which will support the University of Trieste in its activities on site.

During the meeting, Ambassador Giuseppe Sean Coppola and Paolo Razzini highlighted the value of a particularly broad and diversified partnership, in which public bodies, universities, research institutions, companies and civil society organisations work together to pursue common goals. Research, technology transfer and training are the three pillars on which to build a shared development pathway, capable of generating concrete benefits for local communities and for the coffee supply chain as a whole.

The presence of the UniTS delegation in Tanzania also made it possible to strengthen cooperation with local academic institutions. The University’s representatives met with colleagues from MUST and CUoM to define how the two universities will support the project and to lay the foundations for future joint initiatives in the fields of development cooperation, research and international exchange of academic staff, technical and administrative staff, and students.

These collaborations will be developed within the framework of Memoranda of Understanding involving the University as a whole. The first agreement, with the Catholic University of Mbeya, was signed during the project launch, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador, the Regional Councillor and the Bishop of Mbeya, Wolfgang Pisa. The process for signing the agreement with the Mbeya University of Science and Technology is also nearing completion.

The mission also allowed the UniTS delegation to learn more about other international cooperation projects funded by AICS in the Mbeya region and carried out by civil society organisations and Italian volunteers, with particular attention to initiatives dedicated to children with disabilities. In this context, the delegation also visited the Utengule Coffee Plantation, one of the most advanced local organisations in coffee cultivation and selection, with which promising synergies were identified for the next phases of the project.

A significant part of the mission was also devoted to observing field training activities for operators of central coffee pulping units and for representatives of local AMCOS cooperatives in the Mbeya and Songwe regions. The training, led by Francesca Pellis and Gianluca Malvicini from Illycaffè, provided an initial opportunity for operational discussion on the needs of the supply chain and on the most effective ways to support local producers in improving the quality and sustainability of the production process.

The next step for the University of Trieste will be the selection of three research fellows who will support the academic staff in the field activities. The fellows will acquire specific skills and work closely with local networks, contributing to the continuity of the project activities and to their long-term integration within the territory.