Transcript Document

Sustainability of Coffee
Production and Trade In Ethiopia
John Nenghabi
Mimi Choudhury
Winta Terfari
NRSC 441
Professor Weil
December 9 2004
Birth Place of Coffee
Ethiopia is the oldest coffee exporter in
the world
Ethiopian muslim merchants first
exported coffee to 142 countries
In 1960, Ethiopia joined the Inter-African
Coffee Organization and the International
Coffee Organization
Coffee Plant
The original home of the coffee plant is
Africa. To be exact, there are three
different coffee plants, all related:
• Coffea Arabica from Ethiopia, known
from prehistoric times.
• Coffea Robusta from Congo, discovered
in 1898.
• Coffea Liberica (Coffea Canephora)
from Western Africa, of no great
importance in coffee trade.
Background And Agronomy
• Coffee (Caffea Arabica) is an evergreen, glabrous shrub or small tree up to
five meters tall when un pruned. It originated from Ethiopia. It is disease
resistant , withstands a wide range of soil pH, resistant to a wide variety
of insects, tolerant to variation in photoperiods, shade, slopes and viruses.
The
plant is a natural tetraploid, (2n=44) and self fertilizes.
Production
The coffee tree does not begin to
produce its full yield until its sixth year
and will continue prime production for
about ten years, however Coffee plants
may live on for 60 years. The tree, if left
alone will grow to a height of between 16
and 40 feet.
Culture
• In Ethiopia traditional methods of plants on
virgin soils is to put 20 seeds in each hole;
3.5/3.5 at the beginning of the rainy season.
Half are eliminated naturally at six to twelve
months. Seedlings are taken to the field and
planted on contoured fields 2-3m apart in 3-5m
rows. Holes are prepared 40x40x40cm and four
seedlings planted in each. Coffee is often
intercropped with food crops such as corn,
beans and rice during the first few years
Overall Significance and
Historical Background:
• For propagation of Arabica coffees, ripe red cherries are collected,
pulped, and the mucilage is removed by fermentation. The freshly picked
seeds can either be planted immediately or dried for later use. Drying
takes place on wire mesh trays in the shade. Dried seeds can be used up
to a year or more if properly stored.
Coffee Use In Ethiopia:
Cultural Importance
The beans are widely used as a
beverage. Coffee is grown in Ethiopia
mainly as a cash crop for export and is
widely used locally as
a masticatory
since ancient times. It is also cooked in
butter to make rich flat cakes. A fermented
drink from the pulp is also produced locally.
Natural Fertilizer
Coffee pulp is good for manures,
mulch and cattle feed.
Natural Stimulant/Drug
Caffeine is a wide spread additive in
over the counter diet pills, pain killers and
stimulants.
Husbandry and Management:
• The coffee tree requires a mean
temperature of 66-77 degrees Fahrenheit
(19-25 degrees Celsius). Thus, the coffee
tree is a tropical plant. It is not a
coincidence that coffee and humans
thrive in the same temperatures. Our
original home is the same - Africa. It is
quite possible that Eve and her
contemporaries (about 2.8 million years
ago) munched coffee beans for pleasure.
Is coffee growing sustainable?
• Clean weed control is necessary through out the
entire season. Pruning is common practice in
some districts. Mulching and green manure are
commonly used with chemical fertilizers
coming more and more into use. Typical
applications consist of 175g N, per bush, 100g P
and 175g K. P and K added in two applications
and N added over a longer period of time with
4-5 applications. Other elements are added as
soils require them. Shading tends to favor leaf
and shoot growth at the expense of the roots.
Holiday for Growers
• Grow your own Coffee Plant
• Coffea arabica
• Average economic age of plants 30-40 years
with some 100 years plantations still bearing.
Trees come into bearing 3-4 years after planting
and are in full bearing at 6-8 years. Fruits
mature 7-9 months after flowering. Selective
picking of ripe red fruits produces highest
quality. In Ethiopia, harvest season is OctoberDecember
Fertilization
• The Arabica species is self-pollinating, whereas the Robusta species
depends on cross pollination. About 6-8 weeks after the flowers are
fertilized, cell division occurs and the fruit remains as a pin head for a
period that is dependent upon the climate.
Traditional Methods vs.
Conventional
• In Ethiopia traditional methods of plants on virgin soils
is to put 20 seeds in each hole; 3.5x3.5 at the
beginning of the rainy season. Half are eliminated
naturally at six to twelve months. Seedlings are taken
to the field and planted on contoured fields 2-3m apart
in 3-5m rows. Holes are prepared 40x40x40cm and four
seedlings planted in each. Coffee is often intercropped
with food crops such as corn, beans and rice during the
first few years . Clean weed control is necessary
through out the entire season. Pruning is common
practice in some districts. Mulching and green manure
are commonly used with chemical fertilizers coming
more and more into use.
Research And Analysis
• Mazzafera and his colleagues discovered three naturally
decaffeinated varieties after screening 3000 Ethiopian
coffee trees, representing 300 strains. Experiments on
the plants demonstrated that they lacked caffeine
synthase, the enzyme in leaves that converts a
compound called theobromine into caffeine.
• As well as eliminating the need for solvent extraction,
the discovery could also be an alternative to
decaffeinated plants created by knocking out the gene
for the same enzyme via genetic engineering
Weather Conditions
• The subtropical regions, at high altitudes of 16-24° C. Rainy and dry
seasons must be well defined, and altitude must be between 1800-3600
feet. These conditions result in one growing season and one maturation
season, usually in the coldest part of autumn.
Harvest
• Each year coffee is harvested during the
dry season when the coffee cherries are
bright red, glossy, and firm.
Land Use in Ethiopia
-Ethiopia is 112.4 million ha.
-Only 3% of the cultivated land
(1.7% of total land area) is used for
coffee approximately 400,000 ha.
-95% of this land is cultivated by
small land holders (fields smaller
than 2 ha)
Types of Coffee Production:
1)Forest Coffee
2)Semi Forest Coffee
3)Garden Coffee
4)Plantation Coffee
Harvesting Methods:
Dry Method80-85% exported
3-4 weeks
Dried then outer layer removed (hulled)
Problem: use timber for drying
Wet Method15-20% exported
over 400 washing plants
wet pulp fermented and washed
Problem: waste pulp (sometimes acidic) leached
into local waterways
Alternatives:
-Fruit pulp yield 127 liters of alcohol.
-Pulp can be fed to sheep.
-Fed to cattle during dry season if ensiled with grasses and molases.
Effect of Coffee Production
On Genetic Diversity:
Value of Ethiopian Coffee Beans
Coffee Arabica
Most conservation efforts (ex-situ)
-Coffee Berry Disease (CBD)
4 Conservation sitesKontir-Berhan, Boginda-Woreda, Boginda-Yeba
and Geba-Dogi
Insitu Conservation:
Yayu Forest Coffee Gene Reserve
1)Size of Reserve
2)Zoning:
Core; Buffer 1; Buffer 2
3)Improve Multiple Use:
Bees and Vegetables
-Coffee bushes caged with bees yield 52% more
berries than bushes caged without bees.
-Use soil and grass bunds; grow dry season
vegetables.
Effect on Wetlands
Ethiopian Wetland Research Program
Coffee production displace cereal
crops from interfluves (The region of
higher land between two rivers that
are in the same drainage system )
- so crops are shifted to wetlandsdried and remove native vegetation.
Increased Degradation due to:
Increased Deforestation
-cleared for agriculture, timber, fuel wood
and narcotics
Increased Immigration
-Influx of migrants during peak season
Lack of conservation management and education
-Lack of funds
Lack of land ownership
-farms owned by Country
Political and social problems
-Warfare, Famine
The Third World: Dependence on
Primary Products
• Out of 141 developing
countries, 95 depend for more
than half of their export
earnings on agricultural
commodities (UN 2003)
• 70 depend only on three
commodities or less, making
them susceptible to price
slumps and volatility
• Most of these countries are
located in Africa and Latin
America
• Most will remain as part of the
heavily indebted poor
countries (HIPCs).
Plummeting Prices
Real Agricultural Commodity Price trends (1980 = 100) (source: FAO)
World Coffee Prices
According to the
International Coffee
Organization, coffee
prices:
• Plunged to a 30-year
low
• Decreased by 70% in
the last four years
• & Continues to
decrease
World Market Share …
“Ethiopia exports only green coffee beans (not roasted), it is
limited to supplying raw materials at a fixed price to the
roasters (and end product sellers) like Starbucks, Nestle,
Kraft, Sara lee …etc whose coffee brands are worth $1
billion or more in annual sales (OXFAM 2002)”
Coffee: Nucleus of the Economy
 60% of Ethiopian exports
 Livelihood of 1.2 million coffee
farmers
 Small farmers produce 90% of
the coffee (the rest by state
farms)
 Coffee supports 15 million
families (1/4th of population)
dependent on coffee
Social Impact on Farmers
Vicious POVERTY cycle ?
• Crippled coffee
farmers
• Unable to afford health
services
• Unable to send
children to school
• Production has
declined by 20-30%
• Selling at a loss
• Abandoning coffee for
other cash crops (chat)
Impact on Economy
Pre-existing situation :
•Drought
•War
•Debt servicing ($105 million out of 6 billion in 2003/04) GDP
•Classified one of the poorest countries in the world
•Per Capita Income : $100
•40% – 50% of people live on less than a dollar per day
•Less production
•Less consumption
•Less foreign exchange (dented reserves)
•Less import
•More dependence on international donors
•More debt
•More POVERTY
Coffee Production Potential
 Suitable altitude
 Ample rainfall
 Optimum temperatures
 Appropriate planting
materials
 Fertile soil
"Before you've finished your breakfast this morning, you'll
have relied on half the world"
- Martin Luther King
Hopes for Sustainability?
Innovative Farmer Cooperatives
“The Oromiya Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
has launched feasibility studies to embark
construction of 'tukuls' and resort outlets for
tourists and visitors in various coffee forest
areas scattered around Oromiya region”
November 14th, 2004
http://allafrica.com/stories/200411151271.html
Fair Trade movement
The Ethiopia Coffee Quality
Project (2003–2006) aims to
improve quality, consistency
and traceability of different
coffees, to meet market
demands.
JOIN THE BIG NOISE
WWW.MAKETRADEFAIR.ORG
.