Land Tenure, Labor Allocation and Life of Coffee Farmers in Coffee Producing Areas: The Case of Jimma and Limmu Awrajas since 20thc

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to reveal Land Tenure System, Labor allocation, Life of Coffee farmers, andrisk management strategies in Coffee Producing areas in former Jimma and Limmu Awrajas, the current Jimma Zone since 20^thc. In this study the researcher employed both the primary and secondary sources and different data gathering instruments.Secondary data sources were collected by brief review of related literatures by assessing published and unpublished materials. The available oral traditions were used as sources of data. Additionally, these data were described, expressed and articulated qualitatively.Finally, all data were analyzed and interpreted carefully in accordance with the standardized rules of the social science disciplines.Even though there are works that done on coffee; most of them are focus on marketingand agricultural aspects of coffee production. The attention given for land holding system, labor intensity and the life of coffee farmers in coffee producing areas are very little. Therefore, this work tried to fill the gap that left by other written materials so far and contributed something in enriching the condition of Coffee farmers. When we compare with other regions, the yield and production level of coffee in this awrajas is extremely low. It had been affected by several factors. For instance, coffee disease, drought, land tenure system, Nature of Coffee Plant, Environmental factors, Lack of Institutional Organization, both Processing and harvesting methods. However, there are several risk management strategies that adopted by other parts coffee farmers. These are diversifying income source by intercropping, shifting the environment, saving assets, sharecropping, borrow money from various institutions, uprooting the more risky coffee trees and replacing them by other less risky trees. Additionally, after Jimma and its surrounding came under the central government more lands were possessed by land lords and king. Poor peasants and rent-paying tenants lacked the right of land ownership to cultivate coffee. In contrast, after the socialist government came to power, even if some reforms are introduced and the former landless farmers enjoyed the right to have land based upon the size of their family. However, still the economic benefit of coffee farmers and the benefit they obtained from coffee production and marketing are also not getting enough attention. As Coffee moves through many steps the value of the coffee increases and it shows the very low return received by growers.Generally, during good coffee harvesting season the economic capacity of peasants would be better than other seasons. They misused the resource obtained from coffee sale. However, during bad coffee year they began suffering a lot and forced to go to borrow money from rich peasants, local landlords and merchants. Coffee farmers are not more profitable from coffee production and marketing. They work hard but obtain little. Probably it was a good chance for merchants, landlords, government officials and coffee exporters.

Keywords: Land, Labor, Coffee Production, Jimma, Limmu, Coffee Farmers