Forest Coffee Production in Ethiopia: The Case of Gimbo District, Kaffa Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Coffee plays a significant social and economic role and serves as a major source of foreign earnings in number developing countries including Ethiopia. Globally 125 million people in Latin America, Africa and Asia depend on it for their livelihoods. Nowadays coffee is among the few internationally traded important agricultural commodities. Forest coffee have been less recognized and given less attention, despite of its multipurpose benefits for environment and sustainabilityTherefore, the objective of this study is to assess and analyz the significance, current status and future prospects of forest coffee production in the area.This study is conducted at Gimbo Woreda, Kafa Zone of SNNPRS at Southwestren Ethiopia. Three Kebeles were selected. Each site is sampled with characteristic attributes relevant on the abundance of wild coffee forest, accessibility, time and previous experience of the researcher. The nature of the study commanded methodological pluralism. Thus, combinations of surveys, qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques were employed.Based on the result, the institutional performances of actors on forest coffee production in the study area found to be full of awareness, that wild coffee is the central party of the community livelihood. Moreover, current forest coffee management guaranteed the increasing trend of organic forest coffee production. The study disclosed that wild coffee production is economically rewarding, socially justifiable and ecologically sound as naturally regenerating NTFPs due to its natural existence. These functions of wild coffee initiated the motivation of different stockholders in managing the wild coffee forest and maintain its natural ecology since they drive benefits from it. However, there is high treating factors endangering future of coffee forest. The study concludes that currently forest coffee production has in good state while, the future prospects of forest coffee production at Gimbo district is confronted with potential dangers due to forest coffee tenure insecurity and increasing trend of coffee investors. Thus, the study provides signals to give attentions for the challenges and possible solutions for the bright future of forest coffee production.

Keywords: forest coffee, Non-Timber Forest Products, Indigenous coffee management, future value