Brewed coffee

Coffee is a drink that is brewed and prepared from roasted coffee beans. The dark-brown beans are slightly acidic, bitter and stimulating as a result of its caffeine content.

Coffee was first discovered in the native forests of Eastern Africa. According to history, it was found around AD850 in Kaffa by an Abyssinian (former name for Ethiopia) known as Kaldi. Coffee was first brewed in the mid-15th century by some Yemenis who obtained the beans from Somali traders that journeyed from the Eastern Highlands of Africa.

Coffee Cultivation

Cultivation

One of the ways of planting coffee is through the traditional Shade-grown method. The beans are planted at an altitude of 1500 meters on fertile forest lands. The seeds are intercropped alongside other food and tree crops that provide shade from sunlight.

See also: AATF partners IRRI to Scale Hybrid Rice Production in Africa

A more modern method is practiced in developed countries like Brazil. The seeds are first planted in a nursery within controlled temperate conditions. The seedlings are then transferred outside at six to twelve months.

Coffee sorting process

Coffee Producers in Africa

Ethiopia is the #5 producer of coffee in the world. The country is popular for exporting Kaffa and Sidamo (Arabica) beans. Another major species is the Canefora or Robusta which produces better yields as a result of high resistance to disease infestation. Both Arabica and Robusta trees produce crops within 3 years of cultivation and still produce for 20-30 years. Other gourmet Ethiopian coffee beans species include Wollega (Nekempte), Limu, Sidama, Yirgacheffe, Tepi, and Bebeka.

top producers of coffee in the world

Coffee in East Africa is cultivated in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Burundi, and Uganda. In the North is Sudan and Ivory Coast on the West African coast. It is also produced in Zimbabwe, Angola, Cameroon, DRC Congo, Tanzania, and Malawi on small scales. 

Coffee is currently cultivated in over 70 countries globally and about 25 African countries economically benefit from its production. Brewed coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. The bean is a major agro commodity in Africa and has become a primary export in Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Africa is recognized for producing some of the world’s finest quality beans. Millions of people in these countries depend on coffee production as the primary source of livelihood. The global demand for coffee is expected to increase by a third to 200 million bags by 2030, as the population increases.

The post Where this is found in Africa Series – an Expository of African Cash Crops appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.

CTA in partnership with Farm Africa kicked off this new initiative to alleviate the effects of climate change for up to 20,000 smallholder farms in Ethiopia’s Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR). The 22-month project will target famers in Woreda, Hadero Tunto and Damot Gale regions.

This initiative, named ‘Accelerating the Uptake of Climate-Smart Agriculture in Ethiopia’ will integrate technology with farming practices and in so doing, help scale and improve productivity.

Michael Haliu, Director of the CTA said; “We need to build the capacity of smallholder farmers to cope with unpredictable climate variability through innovations in technology and improved farming practices. This project will serve to test some of these innovations and open the way to scaling up successful practices to a large number of farmers”.

See Also: Tunisia to Launch Use of Drones in Agriculture Pilot Project

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) will be massively adopted in the project, a game-changing agricultural approach, which will help farmers attain increased agricultural productivity, adaptation in crops to grow in changing climate conditions, and mitigation, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Yasmin Abdulwassie, Director of Farm Africa Ethiopia, commented: “We’re delighted to be working with CTA to help farmers across SNNPR increase their yields in an environmentally sustainable way. This project will help boost not only food security but household incomes for thousands of people living in a region prone to climate extremes.”

The funding for the project will come from the European Union through CTA. Overall, through increased field uptake of CSA, the initiative will lead to improved food security and resilience for 50,000 smallholder farmers in three ACP countries.

More on MTFC Blog

• Nigeria’s SmartFarm Wins MTFC Innov8Agric Challenge, Bags Home 5,000USD
• Meet the 4 AgriTech Start-ups Pitching at the MTFC’s Innov8Agric Challenge in Dubai
• Wefarm Hits Over 1 million Users Across Kenya and Uganda
• Meet the Farmers Conference Nigeria tagged ‘’The Future of Agribusiness’’ held in Lagos
• Smart Farms Wins Nigeria Innov8Agric Challenge, to Compete with Other Start-ups for $5,000

The post CTA Launches Initiative in Ethiopia to Help 20,000 Farmers Battle Climate Change Effects appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.