The Socio-economics for Improved Livelihood and Income Security research program has two units which are:

1. Special Projects Unit (SPU) and
2. Business Unit (BU).

The major activities under the Special Projects Unit (SPU) include i. Describing and understanding the diverse farming and livelihood systems in the coffee-growing areas of Tanzania, ii. Identification and prioritization of socio-economic/agronomic constraints in the coffee sector and propose, evaluate and promote possible solutions iii. Modeling production costs in different farming systems.

The SPU is also responsible to ensure that all technical solutions proposed by TaCRI are not only documented as far as the output is concerned (yield, quality...) but also as far as corresponding needed extra inputs are concerned (cash, land, labor...) if this is not done (or has not been done) ex-ante, then it will have to be done ex-post by monitoring the application of proposed GAPs in different farming systems.

Apart from overseeing the socio-economic studies, it also ensures that proposed GAPs (including varieties) are actually i). adapted to all farming systems or to some of them and ii). that they are really affordable and applicable to coffee growers.

The Business Unit (BU) is the new component established during SAP IV. The objective of this unit is to support TaCRI increase its internal sources of income so as to improve its services delivered to stakeholders and make TaCRI financially sustainable.