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2007 Conference of the East African Fine Coffee Association Takes Place in Ethiopia, the Birthplace of Coffee
2007 Conference of the East African Fine Coffee Association Takes Place in Ethiopia, the Birthplace of Coffee
USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director Glenn Anders and Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyoum Mesfin view exhibits at the EAFCA Conference in Addis Ababa on February 15, 2007
The largest-ever coffee conference in Africa was held this week in Ethiopia with nearly 600 delegates representing 40 countries from around the world. The United States Agency for International Developed provided partial support for the conference, which included other first-ever events like a ‘Barista Championship’ coffee servers competition, and a Specialty Coffee Auction, to increase awareness and exports of Ethiopian coffee. USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director Glenn Anders delivered remarks at the Conference’s opening ceremony. USAID is investing over one million dollars a year in Ethiopia to increase the technical skills of coffee farmers and sellers, in areas ranging from production practices such as mulching to environmentally friendly post-harvest techniques. In addition, USAID has have guaranteed nearly $6 million in new credit over the last 18 months to help coffee cooperatives and agro-processors build their businesses. USAID-funded field activities focus on agricultural advice to more than 13,700 smallholder grower ‘clients’ in Ethiopia on basic agronomic practices to better cultivate and nurture coffee trees. Increased sales of coffee totaling nearly $1 million have already been reported by five clients. Beyond farm-level assistance, USAID also developed an Internet–based auction that links Ethiopian farmers directly with specialty coffee buyers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
