Coffee growers in Ethiopia are turning to green solutions
Ethiopian coffee growers are looking at green innovation to grow their business.
Aid agency Oxfam International is sponsoring a project to help coffee growers in one region of Ethiopia use more sustainable growing methods, teaching environmentally-friendly processing to reduce waste and cut water usage by 98.5 percent.
That’s welcome news of hope for coffee growers, who face increasing challenges as the climate changes. According to SciDev.net., coffee is the world’s most valuable tropical export and is produced by 20 million or so small farming families. But the future outlook for coffee growers is bleak. Coffee needs a certain climate to grow well, and as temperatures rise, unpredictable dry spells and periods of heavy rain are expected to negatively impact coffee production.
Oxfam America is increasingly investing in coffee quality improvement through greener processing. Last year the organization launched a project to support coffee quality improvement by funding the purchase of an eco-friendly coffee washing station.
As a result, coffee growers are expected to increase their income by selling washed coffee while addressing environmental pollution related to the conventional coffee processing method.