Resilient Rural Development:
Case Study on Coffee in Ethiopia

Part of the Sustainable Agriculture project

The livelihoods of about 15 million Ethiopians depend on coffee production and Ethiopia is the largest coffee producer in Africa. Utilizing a subcanopy tree that thrives below a forested canopy, the production of “climate-smart” coffee has the potential to raise earnings, protect forests, and if combined with a build-out of renewable energy could increase rural livelihoods and help Ethiopia meet its climate goals. Yet solutions are complex. An increase in livelihoods depends on building farm and farmer resilience to climate stress and market volatility, and to ensuring that rural communities have access to renewable energy technologies that remove the pressures on forest biomass resources. Together with our in-country partners, CPL’s cross disciplinary team will identify key needs and scalable solutions that will form the basis for recommendations and future initiatives.