Coffee Agroforestry and the Food and Nutrition Security of Small Farmers of South-Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Agroforestry generally contributes to rural food and nutrition security (FNS). However, specialization on commodity-oriented agroforestry practices or management strategies can weaken local food sourcing when terms of trade fluctuate, as is the case of coffee in Ethiopia. Hence, this study assessed the trade-offs that smallholder farming households in south-western Ethiopia face between growing coffee in agroforestry systems and their food and nutrition security based on home production as well as markets. Data collected from 300 randomly selected households included: (i) attributes of agroforestry practices (AFP) and plants: structure, use type, edibility, marketability, nutritional traits, and (ii) the householders' FNS attributes: food security status, nutritional adequacy, and nutritional status. Data were collected both in food surplus and shortage seasons, during and after coffee harvesting. Within these data, the number of plant species and vegetation stories were significantly correlated with household food access security in both seasons and for all AFP identified, i.e., homegarden, multistorey-coffee-system, and multipurpose-trees-on-farmlands. The number of stories in homegardens and the richness of exotic species in multipurpose-trees-on-farmlands were significantly correlated with the biometric development of children below 5 years old during the shortage season. The richness of “actively-marketed” species in all AFP correlated with the food access security of the household, except in the multistorey-coffee-system, oriented to coffee production. Also, families that cultivate all three AFP showed significantly higher household diversity dietary during the shortage season. We conclude that no single AFP can secure FNS status of the households by itself, but the combination of all three can. Household and individual dietary scores were positively correlated with the AFP diversity-attributes, especially in the shortage season. Thus, the diversity of useful groups of plant species deserves to be promoted for instance by enriching AFP with edible and storable crops needed during the shortage season.

Woody Species Composition, Structure, and Carbon Stock of Coffee-Based Agroforestry System along an Elevation Gradient in the Moist Mid-Highlands of Southern Ethiopia

“…A study conducted in southwestern Ethiopia by [17] indicated that traditional shade coffee management practices can maintain a diverse suite of forest birds. In addition to the ecosystem benefits, agroforestry can contribute to food security [18] and income and a wide range of other products such as fuelwood, construction material, fodder, spices, and medicinal plants [19]. It is seen as a multidimensional system with biophysical and socioeconomic components.…”

Shaded-Coffee: A Nature-Based Strategy for Coffee Production Under Climate Change? A Review

“…In a review of studies spanning 26 years across Latin America, Jezeer et al (2017) reported that lower costs and supplementary income from shade tree products made shaded systems more profitable than non-shaded systems. Products from shade trees, such as fruits, firewood, timber and other materials, can make up a substantial part of the total income from coffee AFS (Rice, 2008;Souza et al, 2010;Thuy et al, 2019), and highly diverse coffee AFS increase the household's food and nutrition sources, especially in the shortage season (Jemal et al, 2021). Payment for ecosystem services can also generate additional source of revenues for AFS-coffee farmers (Cole, 2010;Thuy et al, 2021).…”

Introduction: Ten Years of Forests, Trees and Agroforestry Research in Partnership for Sustainable Development

“…Food sovereignty has been qualified as the fifth pillar of food security, beyond supply, access, utilization and stability (Jemal et al 2018) and is linked to identity. Nutrition can be derived from forests, landscapes, homegardens and markets (Vinceti et al 2013;Ickowitz et al 2014;Powell et al 2015;Vira et al 2015;Fungo et al 2016;Jemal et al 2021). Storable staple foods, such as rice in Asia, can be more easily "outsourced" in exchange for marketable forest and agroforestry products than other complements of healthy diets (van Noordwijk et al 2014a).…”