Specialty green coffee traders, sourcing from 26 origins on behalf of over 1000 roasters.

Date

The Stumping Project
Eshetu Abote, a member of the Shegole coffee farming cooperative, in Western Ethiopia.

ETHIOPIA: A 2-year pilot project conducted by the NGO Technoserve in Sidamo, Ethiopia, demonstrated the positive impact of tree-stumping. Old trees result in lower yields and a decrease in quality. After two harvests, coffee farmers were able to achieve a living income with increased yields and improved quality coffee.


ESG(s): Social, Environmental

Origin: Ethiopia

Timeline: 2021-2024 tbd

Partner orgs: Technoserve


THE OPPORTUNITY

A two-year pilot project conducted by the NGO Technoserve in Sidamo, Ethiopia, demonstrated the positive impact of tree-stumping. Old trees result in lower yields and a decrease in quality. After two harvests, coffee farmers were able to achieve a living income with increased yields and improved quality coffee. All indications are that these stumped trees will produce between two and four times more cherries in the coming years.

At the end of 2021 Falcon launched a drive to recruit their specialty clients to sponsor one farmer for $140 which can provide them with the tools to properly stump and rejuvenate their old trees, helping them increase their yields and quality, and in turn their household income.

THE PLAN

For the full duration of this three-year project, The Stumping Project will train farmers, using TechnoServe’s Coffee Farm College methodology, in small, self-selected Focal Farmer Groups (FFGs) of roughly 30 farming households. Small groups have the benefit of enabling field-based classrooms and demonstration plots where farmers can see first-hand the results of GAPs. Highly trained women and men Farmer Trainers that have been recruited from local communities will provide monthly, activity-based lessons that allow farmers to engage in practical application of the training they receive.
The project’s incentives will be distributed through the following stages:

1) After harvest (January), trainers will teach farmers how to renew their trees using the special stumping technique. Stumping needs to occur directly after the previous harvest and before flowering (March).

2) In the weeks that follow (February), the TechnoServe Farmer Trainers will visit the trained farmers to establish which farmers have elected to stump. These farms will then be placed on record.

3) Based on these records, a verification survey (March – May) will be rolled out, where each farm on the list will be audited to capture:
• The number of trees that have been stumped
• The GPS co-ordinates and shape of the stumped area
• Basic details about the farmer
At the end of these surveys, a Guarantee Card will be handed out to the farmer indicating the type of incentive tool set they will receive based on the number of stumped trees.

4) In June and July, distribution events will be held at the farmer group level (FFG) where the tools are given to farmers according to their registered package (Guarantee Card) in the system.
Falcon are responsible for supporting the project financially in collaboration with their Specialty clients. Technoserve will train farmers, distribute incentives, and provide feedback and data that we will share our clients.

THE RESULTS

• For the first intake of the project for the 2021/22 season,
55 sponsorships were made from coffee roasters and our extended Falcon community.
• $27,440 raised.
• 196 farming households sponsored.