Upload
truongnhi
View
213
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
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.