Ethiopian Coffee Farmers Enjoy Huge Income Boost Through Agroforestry Program – CoffeeTalk

Ethiopia has successfully implemented a transformational sustainable forestry program, resulting in over 5,000 acres of land being reforested, 45% increases in household income, and a 70% increase in exported coffee. Coffee is a major lifeblood of Ethiopia’s economy, accounting for around half of the livelihood of 15 million people, 95% of whom are small landholding growers. Farm Africa led a project on sustainable agriculture among coffee growers inside 19 local forest management cooperatives totaling around 4,000 people between 2021 and 2024.

The project aimed to instruct landholders and growers on ways to get everything they needed from their forest homes without felling too many native trees. Locals were shown how to cultivate fast-growing trees optimal for firewood in small plots and methods on how to maximize the growth cycle of these fuel trees. Six tree nurseries were opened and staffed by around 60 people taught to sell seedlings for reforestation of native woodland in the area. By the end of the project, over 300,000 seedlings had been planted over 5,000 acres of forest, and they enjoyed a five-year survival rate of 85%. Climate-smart practices such as cultivating bamboo for making the mats on which the coffee beans are dried removed the need to truck in bamboo from other regions, while 66% of homes were convinced to switch to energy-efficient wood stoves to reduce fuel consumption.

Most of the landholders growing coffee or managing the forest had plots for vegetable and fruit production to feed their families and those of their communities through trade. Percentages of these Ethiopians who adopted climate-smart farming techniques increased from 49% to 76%, while 10% more began growing fruit and vegetables. Income generated from the increased production amounted to around 280% more than what was made before the project, adjusted for inflation.

Coffee production, marketing, and returns have all improved, with 73% more coffee from the Ilu Ababor region being export-quality than in 2021, and 44% meeting the standards for specialty grade, which is up by 20% from 2021. Co-op leaders received training in business management, quality control, and certification processes, which majorly improved their incomes. Project wide, incomes and access to financial services almost doubled, reaching almost 100% of the community. Deforestation plummeted in the area to just 0.08 acres a year.

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