Boneya Robe’s two-hectare garden

The story

The Gedeo people have practiced indigenous agroforestry in this region for centuries, integrating coffee into their traditional land management systems. While coffee was historically gathered from wild forests, cultivation in garden plots expanded significantly following the early 20th century. Many local farmers adopted these expanded planting practices after observing techniques from foreign-owned coffee farms in other parts of Ethiopia during the 1890s.

Challenges

Smallholder farmers in the Gedeo Zone face documented difficulties in performing necessary maintenance, such as the pruning of aged coffee trees to ensure consistent quality. Additionally, the stringent requirements associated with formal certification processes present a significant barrier for small-scale producers.

Innovations

The farm utilizes a strict harvesting protocol where cherries are hand-picked only when they reach a sugar content above 20 Brix.