Growers’ perspectives on cultivating Coffea arabica in southern Ethiopia: can the road to success still be paved in coffee (buna)?

Focus group discussions (n = 5) were convened to allow southern Ethiopian farmers the opportunity to elucidate their experiences cultivating Coffea arabica, a plant species indigenous to a world region that has become a ‘food insecure hotspot’. Discussions among farmers revealed a sense of urgency in securing livelihoods for their families and ensuring the sustainable evolution of the coffee industry. Furthermore, all unanimously reported decreasing yields, limited market access, and inadequate support in utilizing production byproducts, underscoring the need for collaborative efforts to mitigate the harm that the rapidly evolving coffee industry has generated. Although coffee has always been inextricably woven within Ethiopian culture(s), much of the nutritious coffee cherry grown and previously processed on farm is now discarded at production sites in favor of the seed. Given these results, recommendations are proffered to enhance the financial stability and food and nutrition security of coffee farming families. Ultimately, in the design of targeted interventions, the critical perspectives of farmers, their right to maximal profit for their strenuous labor, and Ethiopia’s claim to the genetic stock of the indigenous Coffea arabica must be understood as pivotal if buna is to remain a favorite drink around the world.