Oxfam America

Coffee Crisis: Farmer Testimonies


INTERVIEW: SHALO SHAKO

"What will be the fate of coffee farmers? Where shall we go? The only skill we have is to farm and take care of coffee." Shalo Shako, coffee farmer

Children greet visitors in the Sidama region, southern Ethiopia.
Children greet visitors in the Sidama region, southern Ethiopia. This region yields the highest quality coffee in the world, and yet is impoverished in the midst of a market crisis.

By: Liam Brody, Oxfam America

Good morning. Thank God for bringing us all together under one roof to talk about the coffee crisis. My name is Shalo Shako. I am from the Arba Gona district of the Sidama Zone. I am forty-five years old and I have six children. My husband and I live by growing coffee on our small plot of land. We also inter crop other plants like false banana, potatoes and other vegetables with coffee. Our land is green and we hardly face famine or drought. The highland is very suitable for coffee growing and as you all know we are producing the best quality coffee.

For the last three years our coffee did not help us much. Previously, we used to sell one kilogram of red cherry for three Birr (35 cents US), dry Buni for six Birr (70 cents US) and green coffee for 12 Birr ($1.40 US). Life was relatively good during this time because we were able to feed ourselves and our children with good food, build our house, keep the children in the school, pay government taxes, etc.

When the price of green coffee became less than four Birr/kg (45 cents US), we fell into a more difficult situation than one could imagine. We have struggled with the crisis for the last three years, exhausting our life-long assets with the hope that there would be a price increase for coffee. But there has been none, and there is no clue that the price will improve in the future. What will be the fate of coffee farmers? Where shall we go? The only skill we have is to farm and take care of coffee. There are some farmers who have uprooted some of their coffee bushes and planted Chat [semi-narcotic plant, may induce hypertension, heart palpitation, dilation of the pupils, high oxygen consumption and sedation]. I don't like and agree with this practices because planting this narcotic plant is immoral and spoils our children. In addition to that, people will engage in cutting trees which is the shade for coffee and home for different kinds of birds, Columbus monkeys and production of honey.

If you just drive by our region down to the south - by looking at the green land and forested mountains, you will have the wrong impression that we live in a better condition than the rest of the country, which is presently affected by drought. But the truth is that we need emergency support. As you know, the price of 100kg of maize is 150 Birr and we have to sell about 50kg of green coffee to buy 100kg of maize, which only keeps the family for forty-five days at the maximum. And I have to pick coffee beans from the quarter of my entire coffee field to collect 50kg of green beans.

Therefore, please do not only look at those green grasses and mountains. Give us your support and attention so that we could also live decent life like other peoples. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk about the effect of the coffee price on the lives of coffee farmers. Let God be with you. Thank you.