A study case on coffee (Coffea arabica): Limu Coffe - IRD

Anthropisation’s degree differentiates agro-forests into forests and semi-forests. Not to
be confused and tempted to use inappropriate words, it seems right to use the term agro-
forest. Forest suits to point out wild coffee, which is very rare. In Jima zone, there are five
protected forest areas, and forest coffee could be found only in two forests (because of their
favourable altitudes range):
- Babiya Folla (coffee forest): in Limu Kosa, Mana, Kersa woredas. 33,000 ha;
- Belete Gera (coffee forest): in Gera, Shabe Sombo woredas. 112,000 ha;
- Sigimo Setema (honey production): in Sigimo, Toba, Setema woredas. 61,000 ha;
- Abalti Gibe: in Sokoru woreda. 10,000 ha;
- Sisima Kedo: in Dedo, Omo Nada woredas. 9,500 ha.
As Bayon and Placet (2000) wrote in their “Study of Jima zone agrarian systems”,
different coffee varieties are exploited in agro-forests:
- Old varieties, Malo and Orome, were used in plantations since the beginning of the
20 th century up to the socialist government period. These trees are not planted in rows but are
regularly spaced (1 m to 1.5m).
- Hybrid varieties, selected by the Jima Agricultural Research Center, whose
plantation was promoted by the socialist government. Nowadays, only these selected varieties
are planted through extension programmes.
Illustration 17: Kalloo forest, a wild appearance but a human
management under-storey (Bossolasco, 5 th July 2009)
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