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

Coffee trees
Baggaajjaa or baggaajjaa + improved varieties or improved cultivars only. Yields differ. For
baggaajjaa: 5-8 q/ha without resting time (that means production is year to year regular), whereas for
new varieties: 40 q/ha but one year is high yielding whereas follow three to four years resting. For
baggaajjaa, management is weak and generally gets reduced to slashing and shade regulation.
Land From 0.125 to 2.25 ha. Common unit: fetchassa=0.125 ha. The vast majority owns one to three fetchassa.
Planting
system
Intensification system of selected cultivars = double row system with 3600 plants/ha in lines (4 000 seeds
= 1 kg = 35 birr to the WARDO, 1 st July2009). Seedlings stay 11 months in nursery (state nursery or
farmer nursery) before getting planted in home garden or semi-forest. First yields will appear in third
year of planting.
Slashing From June to September. Indeed slashing occurs during rain season: from June up to July, there is a first
slashing; from August to September, there is the second slashing.
Shade From June to September. Regulation is made by cutting or practicing a ring around the basis of the trunk
regulation which will dry then kill it. Heavy shade is not recommended because of competition with coffee trees and
Shade trees
Other home
garden
productions
Intercropping
(association)
lack of light.
Cordia Africana, Croton macrostachyus, Albizia Gummifera, Acacia abyssinnica and Ficus vasta are the
most used shade species. Croton species is not recommended because its broad leaves are shattering
during dry season. Then associated productions as mango and orange trees could be also used as shade
trees. Therefore, Gravilea robusta, Sesbania sesban and Luciana species are used as temporary shades
between five and seven years whereas Typhosia species is used at the south of the district (at the south of
Kossa town) up to the first four years.
Maize, avocado, mango, ensete, tomato, pepper, ginger, gesho (cash crop sold at the market and
processed to produce talla and arake), eucalyptus, onion, honey, poultry, chat, papaya, cassava,
lumbering trees, oxen farming in maize and dung.
Monocropping is problematic because of diseases. Intercropping is recommended: leguminous, ginger,
cassava, lumbering trees as shade trees, orange, mango, etc…
Mulching During dry season (dried grass, annual crops straws, and shade trees leaves).
Tillage From February to June.
Organic practices using compost and animal dung, no commercial fertilizer. No uniformity on compost
Fertilizing quantities applied. Fertilizing with animal dung occurs after harvesting, in March. All year long, animal
dung is stored in a hole in the garden.
Harvesting There are three pickings according to full ripened berries times from October to February, the bulk of it
happening between October and December.
Drying on maize straws from 10 to 25 days: tables 1 meter above soil, 10 meters long and 1 meter wide.
Drying Farmers agree to point out concrete cement and mesh wire as the best drying material (mating) acting on
quality but expensive. Farmers still dry coffee directly on soil, what is not recommended for quality.
All family members participate on coffee management, especially during harvesting time, children
Gender work helping once school is finished in the afternoon. There are no identified works according to the gender.
This difference only concerns state farms where there is a bulk of female workers. Children typical work
could be climbing in the trees at picking time to harvest out-of-hands cherries.
Production Unanimously, individual production is said to be the best for the management and to increase incomes.
rules Individual production is really the best to keep quality. Collective production rules are not wanted.
Coffee extension is often not allowed because of a lack of farm land. Land limitation is really
problematic and the first constraint. Each generation lands are divided into sons and consequently
reduced. Then another problem is a lack of labour force while children are learning during harvesting
Constraints time. Thirdly some diseases on coffee berries (called CBD) like the ones caused by fungus lower yields.
And some practices lack as rejuvenation (stumping), pruning and taking lichen away despite pruning is
very important. Indeed if dead branches and other parasites are not taken away, it reduces aeration and
yields can decrease 60% (Suntu state farm manager, 30 th June 2009).
Home garden production allows better yields because of the short distance (managed on time, prevents
Coffee animal attacks, compost, animal dung and household waste) but fronts land scarcity. And the taste of
production agro-forest coffees is said to be better than the home garden one because of flora diversity (different
system leguminous shades as Albizia and Acacia species fixing nitrogen). Two agro-forest coffees are said of
characteristics articularly good quality by farmers of the Caakkaawoo farmers’ association and are located in places
called Ajanoo and Giito.
Table 8: Limu Kosa woreda small-scale farmer profile and practices (data: interviews, prod: Bossolasco, 2009)
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