Forest management cooperatives help coffee farmers get a better deal

Girma Legesse, from the Ilu Ababor Zone in Ethiopia, has been farming for years, but the returns have been frustratingly low. That’s all changed since he joined Abdi Bori Participatory Forest Management Cooperative.

Girma Legesse, a 50-year-old father with six children from the Ilu Ababor Zone in Ethiopia, has been practising farming for years. Until recently, rearing livestock and traditional farming of coffee, maize, teff, grains and vegetables had been his only sources of income and the low returns were frustrating. That’s all changed since he joined Abdi Bori Participatory Forest Management Cooperative.

“Though I worked day and night, production was small and consumption was high and there had been no saving at all,” Girma explains.

Joined-up opportunity

Joining Abdi-Bori Participatory Forest Management Cooperative (PFMC), a coop established with mentorship from Farm Africa, he received a wide range of support to help him grow his income while enhancing forest conservation at the same time.

This support included training and access to expertise on quality coffee production; access to finance through an established village saving and loan association and provision of seedlings, including avocado and banana, to help develop his agroforestry. Girma and his wife were also given a total of 16 beehives, gloves and proper clothing for honey harvesting.

Perhaps the most valuable of all, however, were the national and international market connections Farm Africa helped his cooperative establish. By selling his coffee through his coop’s connections, rather than to unscrupulous local brokers, Girma and other coop members have been able to secure far better prices. He shares his observations about the changes he has observed:

“I acknowledge Farm Africa and the cooperative for changes brought in our lives. The support has enabled us to increase our capacity. For instance, they helped me gain knowledge about nursery management and latest farming technologies that help increase the quality of my coffee as well as honey production.”

Stronger together

Becoming a member of the PFMC has helped Girma tackle challenges in the coffee value chain. Prior to that he had been encountering frustrations.

“Local brokers and coffee buyers had been highly manipulating the price of our coffee. They had been putting pressure on us undermining the coffee quality. There had not been any connection to national and international buyers. Thus, we had no choice but deliver our coffee to them with the determined low prices. This had been causing us financial losses which affected our survival,” he explains.

The future is green

Farm Africa not only facilitated the farmers’ access to markets, but also reshaped Girma’s attitude towards environmental conservation. Though he had been aware of the importance of forests and other natural resources, he used to prioritise his short-term crop productivity. Aiming at boosting income from crop production, Girma had been clearing trees to grow more.

“I admit I used to cut down trees to plant coffee and other crops. My intention was to boost my harvest from big field size. So, I used to be indifferent to the consequences of clearing trees. Thankfully, the project has helped me realise the potential danger of my practice. It enhanced my knowledge about the multi-dimensional benefits of environmental protection,” says Girma.

Currently getting the most out of his production from coffee, agroforestry and honey, Girma is providing for the family beyond the basic necessities.

“My lifestyle has changed. I bought a TV and built one corrugated iron-roofed house in my village and another two in Gore town.”

You can read more about the forest coffee project Girma took part in, in our new report: