5

2

3

4

78

9

10

11 Afteralongjourney,therareproductfromthehomelandofcoffeereachesthecoffeecupsofthe

consumers.Theprojecthasfulfilledallexpectations:thesmallholdersofKafanowhavethemeansof

improvingtheireconomicpositionwithoutfurtherassistance.Theyknowthataproductof

whoseexceptionalqualitytheythemselvesarealreadyconvincedisvaluedandappreciatedinotherpartsoftheworldtoo.Thatgivesthemanincentivetoinvestfurtherinqualityandin

particulartoconservethenaturalbasisoftheirbusiness–therainforest,withoutwhoseprotec-

tive,shadyroofthewildcoffeecannotflourish.

ToThecoffeecupFrom the Rainforest

...AndThesmAllholdersprofiT

untilsomeyearsago,wildcoffeewasknownonlytothefarmersoftheethiopianrainforest.intheirhomestheyenjoyedthearomaticblackliquid,buttherareplantwasnotsomethingfromwhichmuchmoneycouldbemade–untiladevelopmentinitiativebroughttogethertheproducersinthesouthandthecoffeeconnoisseursinthenorth.

sacksofthecoffeearetransportedbylorrytothecoast.

Whentheyreachtheportofdjiboutitheyarepackedintocontainersand

shippedabroad.inthefirstfiveyearsoftheproject,thefarmersunion

exportedalmost500tonnesofrawcoffee.uponarrivalinitscountryof

destination,thecoffeeistakentospecialroastingfacilitieswhereitisslow-roasted

insmallquantitiesatlowtemperatures.expertsregardthewildcoffeefromKafatobe

oneofthebestvarietiesintheworld.

6

Asampletakenfromeachbatchofcoffeethat leavesEthiopiaisroastedandtastedbythegovernmentalqualitycontrolbodyinAddisAbaba.Wildcoffeewaslongregardedasaninferiorproduct,butsincethe“KafaForestCoffeeFarmersCooperativeUnion”andexpertsfromtheprojecthavebeeninvolvedinimprovingproductionconditions,itsstandinghasgrown.Now,havingobtainedcertifiedorganicandfairtradelabels,thesewildbeanshaveevenbecomeaflagshipproductforacountryfamedforitscoffeeproduction.

Thesmall-scalefarmersoftheKafaprovince normallylivefromwhatgrowsintheirfields.Cof-feeistheonlyproductwithwhichtheycanearnsomeadditionalmoney.Withtheaidofthedevelopmentproject,some6,500farmersarenoworganisedintocooperativessellingcoffeeofasinglevarietyandfromasinglesource.Theprofitfromthisbusinesshaspushedupthevalueofthecoffeeforeststosuchanextentthatitwouldmakenosenseforthefarmingfamiliestocutthemdownandreplacethemwithmaizeormilletfields.

Sincehigh-qualitywildcoffeehasstartedfetching agoodprice,farmersintheprovinceofKafahaveformedcooperatives.Thecoffeebeansarebroughttospecialcollectingpointswhereexpertsfromthepro-jectcheckthemforquality.Thecooperatives’recentlyestablishedumbrellaorganisationhasbeengranteditsownexportlicenceandcanthusexportthecoffeeitbuysdirectly,bypassingthemiddlemen.Theextraprofitissharedoutamongthemembersofthecooperativesandinvestedinimprovinglocalinfrastructure.

Today,thesmallholdersdrythecoffeeberrieson well-ventilateddryingframes.Thedriedfruitsarethenmilledtoobtainthegreencoffeebeans.Whencoffeepriceswerelow,manyfarmerswouldsimplyspreadtheberriesonthegroundtosparethemselvestheworkoflayingthemout.Thisoftenresultedinthefruitgoingmouldy,whichinturnaffectedtheflavourofthebeans.Asaresult,theinferiorcoffeecouldnotbesoldontheinternationalmarket.

forthebestquality,onlythered,ripeberriesareused.Whentheberriesaredried,fermentationbeginstotakeplaceinsidetheseed.Thisproducessubstancesthatareresponsibleforthedelicateflavourofthearabicacoffeeafterroasting.Thistraditionalmethodoffermentationissuperiortothecommercialprocess,whichinvolvesremovingthefleshofthecoffeeberryinawaterbath.Thisprocessrobsthecoffeeofitswild,spicyandfruitynotes.

Theinhabitantsofthepresent-day provinceofKafahaveprobablybeenusingthecoffeeberriesformorethanathousandyears.Theyalsodiscoveredhowtoroastthebeansanddrinkthecoffee-flavouredliquid.Now,asthen,theypickthewild-growingfruitsfortheirownuseandsellthematthelocalmarkets.Thepreparationofcoffee–celebratedinthewellknown“coffeeceremony”–isaessentialpartofEthiopiantraditionandeverydaylife.ninemonthsafterflower-

ing,thecoffeeplantsbearred,cherry-likefruits.Thesweet,softfleshconceals

twoseeds,flattenedontheirinnerside–thegreen,

rock-hard“coffeebeans”.dependingonthelocationin

theethiopianhighlands,theplantshaveadaptedinthecourseofevolutiontothedifferentgrowingconditionsandsohavedevelopedagreat

numberofdifferentvarieties–withpropertiesthatcouldbeofgreatimportanceforfuturebreeding.

coffeaarabicaisanevergreenplantthatgrowswhereitisprotected

andshadedbytrees.itspreferrednaturalhabitatisthelower

storiesofthemountainrain-forest,ataltitudesbetween1,400and2,000metres.Assoonasthefirstrainfallsafterthedryseasoninfebruary,thetrees

andbushesproducewhiteflowersonthinbranches,

permeatingtheforestwiththeirpervasivescents.

1 FewpeopleassociatetheeastAfricancountryof Ethiopiawithadenserainforest.Yetoncetherewereforestsinthesouth-westofthecountrycoveringanareathesizeoftheformerWestGermany.Onlyatinyportionoftheseforestsremains.However,theremnantscontinuetoharbourmanyendemicspeciesofanimalsandplantsthatarenativetonootherpartoftheworld.OnesuchspeciesisCoffeaarabica,themostpreciousofthecoffeevarieties.Itfirstgrewherethousandsofyearsagoandthisistheonlyplaceinwhichitcontinuestogrowwildintheforest.Withitsundreamt-ofbiologicaldiversity,thisforestrepresentsagenetictreasurehouseofenormousvalueformankind.

summArYofThepppproJecT

Beforeprojectstart now

Annualexportofwildcoffeecertifiedasbeingfromasinglesite 0 upto150tonnes

Tradepriceforonelb(456g)ofrawcoffee 45UScents upto160UScents

Numberofcooperatives 3 26

Numberoffarmersorganisedintocooperatives 57 6,500

Cooperativewarehouses 0 12

Numberofpeopleprofitingfromtheexportofwildcoffee 0 ca.55,000

fromWiThin

preservingeThiopiA’s

Wild Beans

Asuccessfuldevelopmentcooperationprojectshowshownatureconservationandeconomicdevelopmentcancomplementeachother:theethiopianprovinceofKafaistheonlyplaceintheworldwherewildcoffeegrowsintherainforest.Thegenetictreasurehousetheforestrepresents,however,isunderthreatfromlogginganddeforestation.inordertocreateaninternationalmarketforKafa’swildcoffeesothatthisrareproductcanbesold,ethiopian

smallholdershavejoinedforceswithpartnersinamovewhichalsobenefitstherainforest.

Development

ImprInt

Thefollowingorganisationsareinvolvedinthisproject:

AidbyTradefoundation(www.cottonmadeinafrica.com)deutschegesellschaftfürTechnischeZusammenarbeit(www.gtz.de)germanfoundationforWorldpopulation(dsW)(www.weltbevoelkerung.de)georainforestconservation(www.regenwald.de)Kafaforestcoffeefarmerscooperativeunion(www.kafacoffeeunion.com)Kraftfoods(www.kraftfoods.de)naturschutzbunddeutschlande.v.(www.nABu.de)originalfoodgmbh(www.originalfood.de)rotarygermany(www.rotary.de)

photosreinerKlingholzexceptthelowerpictureonp.4:J.scholz

layoutJörgscholz(www.traktorimnetz.de)

Ethiopiaisoneofthemostfascinatingcountriesintheworld,butalsooneofthepoorest.Ithasimposinglandscapesanduniquebiologicaldiversity,whilefacingenormouspopula-tiongrowthandstrugglingwithaninfrastructurethatputsabrakeondevelopment.Thecountrystillhastheremnantsofrainforests,buttheyareshrinkingatanalarmingrate.

Theseforestsinthesouth-westofthecountryarehometothewild-growingCoffeaarabica.Itisthisimportantcropwhichisthefocusofthedevelopmentproject,involvingco-operationbetweenprivatecompanies,NGOsandtheGermanTechnicalCooperation(DeutscheGesellschaftfürTechnischeZusammenarbeit)GTZ.Theforestsformanaturalseedbankwhosevalueasageneticresourceexpertsestimateatupto1.5billiondollars.Despitethisimmensevalue,smallholdersinthepastearnednothingatallfrompreservingtheArabicagenepool.

Inthelightofthisdisparity,arangeofpartnerswithdiffer-ingexpertiseandexperiencegottogethertolaunchamodelprojectwhoseaimistopromotethesustainabledevelopmentoftheentireregion.Themainobjectiveofthismulti-com-ponentialprojectistoestablishapermanentinternationalmarketforEthiopianwildcoffee.Anappropriatelyhighpriceforthisspeciality,sothethinkinggoes,wouldmakeitmoreattractiveinthelongtermforfarmerstoconservetheforestthantoconvertitintoploughland.

ThepartnersarealsokeentohavethearearecognizedasaUNESCObiospherereserveinordertoestablishastronglinkbetweendevelopmentandconservation.Alarge-scalenaturereserveofthiskind,whichwouldincludebothuntouchedcorezonesofforest,bufferandtransitionzonesintheregion,wouldprovideimportantmarketingopportunitiesbothforlocalproductsandfortourismtothe“birthplace”ofcoffee.

TherighTpriceforQuAliTY

TheeconomicresponsibilityforthewildcoffeeprojectlieswiththeGermancompanyOriginalFood.Thecompanyim-portssun-driedwildcoffeefromtheBongaForesttoEuropewhereitisrefinedandmarketedasaspecialityproduct.ThelocalcooperativesaresupportedonissuessuchasimprovingqualitybycoffeeexpertsfromKraftFoods,whohavesetupqualitylaboratoriesspecificallyforthispurpose.

ThenatureconservationanddevelopmentorganisationGEORainforestConservation,whichhasbeenactiveintheKafaregionforyears,isworkingtoensurethatthelong-termconservationoftherainforestscanbesustainablyrecon-ciledwiththecarefulutilisationofwildcoffee.Aparticipa-toryforestmanagementschemewhichseesthesmallhold-ersenterintoagreementswiththelocalgovernmentoftheKafaProvinceisanimportantelementofthiswork.

Thelarge-scaleconservationareaisplannedbytheEthio-piangovernmentinclosecooperationwiththeenvironmen-talgroupNABU(NaturschutzbundDeutschlande.V.).GEORainforestConservationandtheAidbyTradeFoundationprovidesupporttotheimplementationonboththelocalandnationallevels.

ThesocialaspectsoftheprojectarejointlycoordinatedbytheGermanFoundationforWorldPopulation(DSW)andRotaryGermany.Themeasuresthesebodiesareinvolvedinareprimarilyaimedatslowingpopulationgrowthinordertoreducepressureonscarcenaturalresources,andathaltingthespreadofHIV/Aidsintheregionthroughanextensiveprogrammeofoutreachwork.

pppincollABorATivedevelopmenT?

Asaformofcooperationbetweenthestateandtheprivatesector,Public-PrivatePartnerships(PPP)provideaneffectivemeansoflinkingprivatesectorinterestsandgovernmentdevelopmentgoalsforthebenefitofbothsides.In1999,theGermanFederalMinistryforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(BMZ)setupthePPPprogrammeandcommissionedGTZtoimplementsuchprojects.

Finally,GTZ,theimplementingorganisationactiveonbehalfoftheGermanMinistryforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(BMZ),contributestheexperienceofaninternationalorganisation,hasallthenecessarycontactsatpolicy-makinglevel,andprovidesthelocalexperts.

OntheEthiopianside,theprojecthasdevelopedanimpressivemomentumofitsown.Whenthefarmersrealisedthatthepro-ducttheythemselvesheldinsuchhighesteemcouldalsofetchagoodpriceonthemarket,someofthecooperativesthathadformedduringtheeraofEthiopiansocialismbutsubsequentlyfallenintoinactivity,awokefromyearsofslumber.Ontheirowninitiative,withthesupportofthelocalgovernment,theycreatedaqualitycontrolsystem,providedadvicetothesmall-holdersandsetupanetworkofcentralcollectionpoints.

Withthesupportoftheprojectpartners,thecooperatives,whichnownumberthegrandtotalof26,thensetuptheumbrellaorganisationtheKafaForestCoffeeeFarmersCo-operativeUnionunderwhoseauspicesover6,500farmersarenoworganized.Theunionhasitsownexportlicence,whichmeansitcansellandtransportKafa’swildcoffeetotheportofDjiboutiwithouthavingtoemploymiddlemen.

progressonAllfronTs

Withinashorttime,localharvestingandprocessingconditionshadimprovedsignificantly.Sincethen,theamountofhigh-quality,sustainablyharvested,certifiedorganicwildcoffeeproducedeachyearhasrisensteadily.Membersofthecooperativeshavereceivedtraininginharvesting,internalmonitoringsystemsandaspectsoffairtrade.Managersandbookkeepershavebeenemployed,andofficesandstoragefacilitiessetup.TheFarmersUnionhassuchagoodcreditstandingthatfarmerscanbepaidbeforethecoffeehasactuallybeensoldontheinternationalmarket.

ThesmallholdersofKafatakeacertainprideinthefactthattheirproductandlabourisappreciatedbyconnoisseursandgastronomicexpertsinfarawayEurope.Theycanseetheirlivesimprovinginotherways,too,asthesocialaspectsoftheprojecttakeeffect.Innumerousareas,thevillagersthemselveshavetakenoverresponsibilityforrainforestconservationandforgrantingrightstousetheforest.WithsupportoftheDSW,youthclubsprovideinformationonthethreatofHIV/Aidsandthebenefitsandnecessityoffamilyplanning.Nursesandmidwivesarenowactiveeveninremoteareas,caringforthelocalpopulation.

InordertoavoidstagnationinthedevelopmentprocessandtoensurethatthingsimproveevenfurtherforKafaprovince,the“birthplace”ofcoffee,yetmoreeconomicsupportandtargetedprojectworkisplanned.

Themedium-termobjective,forinstance,istosetupaninternationallyrecognizednatureconservationareatofosterthedevelopmentoftheregionoverasustainedperiodandtoensurethattheremainingvarietiesofwildcoffeeareenduringlypreservedintheirnaturalhabitat,therainforest.TherulesgoverningUNESCObiospherereservespermitthesustainableuseofresources,makingthisapromisingapproach.

Itwilltaketimetoachievethisambitiousgoal,buttimethatitisworthinvesting-forKafa,forEthiopiaand,fromaclimatepolicyperspective,forallofus.Onlythenecessarygroundworkwillensurethattherainforestscancontinuetofulfiltheircrucialfunctionfortheglobalclimate.