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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maintained through the gult 32<br />
system. Similar to the medieval fief, the gult c<strong>on</strong>veyed rights<br />
over land, the cultivators who worked it and their produce. Gult rights were acquired through<br />
a formal grant from the m<strong>on</strong>arch, or provincial rulers. Permanent gult was granted to<br />
members of the aristocracy and higher clergy, to churches for the living of their members and<br />
to retired officials as a reward for service. Gult served as the medium of surplus appropriati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
The gultegna was entitled to collect the tribute from the land within his gult. The tribute was<br />
paid by the ristegna and the gultegna might keep all or part of it according to his grantee,<br />
passing the remainder to the superior level. Moreover, the gultegna was entitled to labour<br />
service from the peasant, and being a rist holder himself, utilized it to cultivate his own fields.<br />
Furthermore, he was exempted from taxati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> his own land whereas a plethora of other<br />
taxes were imposed <strong>on</strong> practically everything that lived or grew <strong>on</strong> the land to peasants, and<br />
<strong>on</strong> many forms of activity engaged in by peasants. In this way, the surplus was systematically<br />
drained from the producers reduced to living <strong>on</strong> the borderline of subsistence and under the<br />
menace of periodic famine.<br />
After the c<strong>on</strong>quest (<strong>Limu</strong>-Ennarea kingdom felt in 1891), the northern rulers divided<br />
the southern lands into three parts according to the principle known as sisso 33<br />
meaning <strong>on</strong>e<br />
third. Two thirds were c<strong>on</strong>fiscated, the third left to the indigenous populati<strong>on</strong>. The warrior<br />
aristocracy was rewarded with massive grants of land. The warlords who governed the<br />
occupied regi<strong>on</strong>s subdivided the land am<strong>on</strong>g their officers, soldiers and retainers according to<br />
rank. Subsequently, all officials and agents of the state who served in the south were given<br />
land. The shares were substantial, the smallest being no less than forty hectares. Vast estates<br />
were set aside for the imperial palace and royal family members. The church hierarchy<br />
claimed its share and was rewarded in the same manner as aristocracy. Settlers from the north<br />
followed the army to obtain land <strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong> of paying tax <strong>on</strong> it. The undistributed part of<br />
the c<strong>on</strong>fiscated lands remained state land and grants c<strong>on</strong>tinued to be made <strong>on</strong> it until the final<br />
days of the regime in 1974. Whereas the left third given to indigenous people was in fact<br />
given to local defeated chiefs. They were given gult rights becoming gultegnas over their own<br />
people. In this way the majority of the southern populati<strong>on</strong> found themselves <strong>on</strong> land<br />
c<strong>on</strong>fiscated by the state and redistributed to northerners. They became tenants of the new<br />
landlords. Anyway the new landlords rarely undertook to cultivate the land themselves, and<br />
the value of a grant was measured in terms of the number of families settled <strong>on</strong> it.<br />
32<br />
Amharic.<br />
33<br />
Idem.<br />
50