UMS students empower Ranau coffee farmers through waste-to-income initiative

                        Community showcasing the coffee waste-to-income product 

RANAU: Students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) have helped empower a coffee farming community here through an innovative “waste-to-income” programme aimed at generating sustainable income.

The initiative, known as the Singgah Kopi R.O.O.T.S (Rural Outreach for Origin, Training & Sustainability) Programme, involved 32 coffee farmers from Kampung Toboh Lama, who are members of Koperasi Agro Ranau Berhad.

Through the programme, participants were trained to produce value-added products such as soap, scrubs and compost fertiliser using coffee and agricultural waste.

Initial findings showed that nearly 70 per cent of participants had no prior knowledge of producing such products. However, following the programme, 96 per cent expressed interest in developing and marketing them as an additional source of income.

Programme director Mohd Asran Lataga said the initiative not only introduced new skills but also helped farmers identify economic potential from resources previously considered waste.

“The UCSE grant is not only used to develop the Singgah Kopi business but also to support rural community development towards a sustainable social enterprise model,” he said.

The programme is part of the University-Community Social Enterprise (UCSE) initiative under the Higher Education Ministry and is supported by a RM40,000 seed grant.

UMS students worked alongside industry partners, including Salam Hijau Enterprise and Oupus Organics, to guide participants in product development and sustainable practices.

The team also contributed a coffee roasting machine to the cooperative to support the production of 100 per cent Arabica beans under the Kopi Sahayo brand, which will be jointly marketed to boost output and income.