A study case on coffee (Coffea arabica): Limu Coffe - IRD
A study case on coffee (Coffea arabica): Limu Coffe - IRD
A study case on coffee (Coffea arabica): Limu Coffe - IRD
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necessitates selective picking. For increased yield it requires correct spacing and appropriate<br />
planting without root twisting, regular slashing of weeds during and just after rains, good<br />
processing and suitable pruning (Bantte, 1995).<br />
In fact forests and semi-forests tend to be similar to the observer sight. Wild <strong>coffee</strong> is a<br />
paradox because it can’t preserve its wild feature <strong>on</strong>ce it is exploited. Let c<strong>on</strong>sider <strong>coffee</strong><br />
forests as the envir<strong>on</strong>ment of an organized under-storey of <strong>coffee</strong> trees which, unlike semi-<br />
forest <strong>coffee</strong> trees, are made of a bulk of local varieties (whose origin is a mother bird-planted<br />
tree, likely to be wild, which has given seeds planted by farmers in some plots or directly<br />
transplanted by the past). Whereas semi-forest <strong>coffee</strong> trees are made of a bulk of selected<br />
varieties, lead by the Jima Agricultural Research Center and provided to peasants in extensi<strong>on</strong><br />
programmes by the WARDO. Here, the difference’s criteri<strong>on</strong> lays <strong>on</strong> the external influence,<br />
out of the <strong>on</strong>ly peasant influence transplanting trees by the past. We will designate these<br />
<strong>coffee</strong>s as agro-forest <strong>coffee</strong>s to prevent c<strong>on</strong>fusi<strong>on</strong>. Because, as an expert of the Jima<br />
Agricultural Research Center’s breeding department told me, wild <strong>coffee</strong> exists but wild<br />
<strong>coffee</strong> trees are rare and generally found in deep forest, out of any human exploitati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Therefore this is not a system of <strong>coffee</strong> producti<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Agro-forests are differently named because of different degrees of anthropisati<strong>on</strong>:<br />
- They could be totally c<strong>on</strong>structed by introducing shade trees <strong>on</strong> previously cleared<br />
lands but most of time they are simplified forests by eliminati<strong>on</strong> of trees (as Crot<strong>on</strong><br />
machrostachyus in state farms which is c<strong>on</strong>sidered as a bad shade tree, or as other trees cut<br />
for shade regulati<strong>on</strong>) and c<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> of others (Albizia gummifera, Acacia abyssinica,<br />
Cordia africana, Ficus vasta are the most comm<strong>on</strong> shade trees).<br />
- Fauna and flora diversities are fluctuating qualitatively and quantitatively speaking.<br />
People tend to name agro-forests in which shade trees, weeds and fauna diversity/number of<br />
individuals is high as <strong>coffee</strong> forests, even if <strong>coffee</strong> trees are planted in rows and regularly<br />
spaced, and as semi-forests in a lower <str<strong>on</strong>g>case</str<strong>on</strong>g> of diversity. For example, in Baddaa Kalloo<br />
(Kalloo forest, <strong>Limu</strong> Kosa woreda), which is said a <strong>coffee</strong> forest, trees are planted in rows,<br />
slashing is annually d<strong>on</strong>e. <strong>Coffe</strong>e trees are local varieties more or less rejuvenated (stumped)<br />
or remained mother trees (never been stumped). Oldest trees are lichen covered and 200 years<br />
old estimated (what doesn’t have any sense in the absence of written sources). We can say<br />
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