Safika Abamecha: Ethiopian Coffee

The Jimma region of Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica coffee, a rich African coffee which provides a primary income for more than 100,000 small-scale farmers and their families. Your support of coffee growers like Safiko Abamecha creates sustainable solutions for farmers who live in a region that frequently experiences devastating drought.

Through donor support, Safiko became one of the first coffee farmers in Jimma to adopt drip irrigation on his farm. This allowed him and his family to set a course for a brighter, more secure future.

In addition to receiving iDE’s irrigation technology package (pumps, drip kits, storage tanks, pipes and fittings), Safiko also trained through our Good Agricultural Practices program.

Together we have provided the equipment and training for Safiko to introduce water-saving technologies and reap the benefits of effective soil conservation. Safiko is now using drip irrigation on his small plantation, where he grows both coffee and maize. For Safiko and his family, your support means his coffee production is less vulnerable to drought and that he can maximize his coffee yield for sale to local buyers and exporters.

Together, we have helped smallholder farmers like Safiko increase their income through the provision of irrigation technology packages, access to improved production inputs and profitable markets, and training on improved farming practices. Our focus on integrated climate and resource-smart agriculture in all our activities improves the sustainability of smallholder farmers’ livelihoods.

By working directly with farmers to build made-inEthiopia solutions, we are succeeding in improving coffee production while conserving local water. Your support has played an important part in bringing rich Arabica coffee from Ethiopia to your cup in a sustainable, farmer-friendly way.