Ethiopia

 

In recent years, certain coffee producing regions have seen their yield (and therefore income from coffee) severely impacted. In some cases, this can be directly attributed to the impacts of climate change. In others, it can be because of the decades of economic volatility faced by producers which has made them less resilient and able to re-invest in their coffee trees…

The Problem

 

Ethiopia is one such example. Being the birthplace of coffee, it has achieved global recognition as an accomplished producer, delivering some of the most exceptional cup profiles in the world. However, Ethiopian coffee producers harvest around 40 per cent less per hectare than growers in fellow East African countries such as Uganda. Why is this you might ask? Agronomists have attributed this low yield to the ageing stock of coffee trees across the country which will continue to produce less and less coffee cherries as time goes on.

The solution to this problem involves ‘stumping’ the trees (the cutting back of an old single-stem coffee tree to the stump) but the challenge for the producer here is that it would leave them with zero income for around a 2-3 year period which is the time it would take to re-establish a coffee harvest. 

The Solution

 

One of our supply chain partners, Falcon, alerted us to a new pilot study undertaken by TechnoServe, a non-profit organisation well known for its transformative work in the coffee sector. The aim of the study was to test the success of the provision of incentives to encourage producers to stump their trees. In return for farming tools (pruning shears, saws, bean seeds), training on how to stump and the benefits of doing so and also cash incentives, it was found that the uptake by producers in this project dramatically increased. Approximately five times as many trees were stumped by farmers who were offered the incentive and support to do so.

 

Since 2022, we have been contributing an extra £0.07p/kg for all of the coffees we are invoiced for from Falcon which is being directed specifically towards the stumping project. Our contributions so far have allowed 22 families to stump between 50 and 100 trees on their farms, securing an extra $50-$100 income for them per harvest.

 

“Stumping is one of the most important practices for increasing productivity and improving the livelihoods of Ethiopia’s coffee farmers,” said Paul Stewart, global coffee director for TechnoServe.

 

Zinash Mulatu lives in Shebedino district, Dilla-Afarara kebele, Alaso-Laga, and is a member of the Focal Farmer Group. She is 45 years old and has three children, who attend university and high school. Since her husband died three years ago, she took full charge of managing the coffee farm and caring for her family. She owns a 0.75 hectares (roughly 2 acres) of land, around two-thirds of which is devoted to coffee farming.

 

Though she diversifies with other crops such as banana and enset (false banana, a 

staple food for the community), coffee is the main source of income for the family. As Zinash explains, “Coffee is the most important crop of all, because coffee cultivation is more profitable compared to other crops.” 

 

Zinash’s main challenges were to provide food, health care, and education for her family. 

“Because of my traditional farming system, some of my coffee trees were too old, which meant they were out of production,” she says. “Fortunately, I had the chance to attend the TechnoServe Farm College training on coffee best practices, and I actively participated in the programme. I am so happy.’

 

Zinash learned about stumping, composting, tree nutrients, coffee planting, weeding, mulching, shade management, and business skills, as part of the standard TechnoServe Coffee Farm College curriculum.

 

After the training, she applied most of the coffee agronomy best practices she had learned. In 2020, she stumped 50 trees, and stumped an additional 50 the following year. This year, she was confident enough to stump another 101 old trees. She also applied other good agricultural practices to nourish the stumped trees, such as intercropping them with beans, applying compost to them, and regularly practising ring weeding on  her coffee farm. In addition to the technical advice and encouragement she received from the experienced agronomists, Zinash’s enthusiastic and hardworking nature has contributed to her success.

 

Zinash says: 

 

“At the beginning of the training, when the agronomist taught me that the agronomy training creates the opportunity to develop my economic empowerment, I was doubtful about how this could work. But after a few months of training participation, I felt that the training would bring an improvement in my coffee farm and lifestyle.

 

‘’Honestly speaking, the current performance of my coffee farm shows promise that I will get higher profits from my farm in the near future, and these signs drive me to invest what I have and expand my coffee farm.

 

“The right decision made to stump my coffee trees has brought me a reward of four types of farm tools: a wheelbarrow, pruning shears, a bow saw handle, and a saw blade. The opportunity I got through the support from TechnoServe was a miracle for me, just like winning a lottery. 

 

‘’My energy will be strengthened by the rewards, and the fruits of my farm will be beautiful.’’