Ethiopia – Ethiopian Coffee Development Program

Increasing Smallholder Incomes from Coffee

The Cordaid-funded Ethiopian Coffee Development Program (ECDP) increases smallholder incomes by focusing on four areas in the coffee value chain: coffee productivity, quality, traceability and export management.

To address constraints in these areas, ACDI/VOCA provides training and technical assistance to farmers in topics such as composting, pruning, timely cherry picking and sun drying on raised beds. We also work with exporters, unions, washing station owners, cooperatives and farmers to implement a system of traceability to guarantee that quality characteristics are preserved from the farm to the cup and to ensure that the premiums for this quality make their way back to the smallholder producers.

Program Extended and Expanded

ECDP began in 2008, and Cordaid extended it until June 2012 to build upon its success in improving farm-level productivity and quality by expanding technical assistance to additional farmers, including the following:

Individual smallholder coffee growers: There are 4,590 direct beneficiaries under the current program; Another 5,000 farmers are projected to benefit under the expanded program.

Private and public coffee traders and processors: These include farmers’ organizations (primarily service cooperatives and their unions), private traders (suppliers) and coffee processors.

Private and public organizations involved in coffee-related extension and regulatory activities: The program will target development agents; subject-matter specialists and cooperative organizers of regional bureaus; zone and district offices of agriculture and rural development; and other organizations involved in developing and organizing cooperatives, processing, and coffee-related extension and regulatory activities.

Project area women: This is a new extension activity that will take advantage of a unique opportunity to educate the community on the great potential of women as a driving force of development. This activity will help women establish their own income-generating businesses that are complementary to coffee production.

ECDP Builds on Past Successes

ACDI/VOCA’s past work in Ethiopian coffee includes the highly successful Agricultural Cooperatives in Ethiopia (ACE) program, which supported the establishment of secondary-level unions and expanded farmers’ access to purchasing and distribution outlets. The success of ACE was extensive; for example, in 2005 Starbucks designated coffee produced by ACDI/VOCA’s client Ferro Cooperative in Sidama its eighth Black Apron Exclusive.

The project has developed the skills and interest of farmers in proper cultural practices of coffee tree management, harvesting, and drying, which has led to increased yields and quality. Before the start of ECDP, farmers often employed poor harvesting techniques, and often would harvest after most of the fruit had dried on the tree or fallen to the ground. Now they are rejuvenating old coffee trees, selectively picking fully ripe red cherries and using raised beds for drying. Their efforts have increased yields by 15 percent, raising incomes and improving family livelihoods.

For more information, contact Alex Gebrehiwot at agebrehiwot@acdivoca.org.

Updated: 8/11

PDF version of profile (228 KB)