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.”

SUCAM aims 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, policy makers 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
which provides information about the sugar industry in Kenya, the network's activities, contacts, an online library, notice board 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 value 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 sugar cane 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 out 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 tones 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.