Project titel: Climate smart sourcing strategies for coffee
Project number: SMP-19071
Requesting country: Ethiopia
Year: 2019
Budget: € 30,000
Project leader: Willem Ruster
Knowledge institute: Wageningen University & Research
Project partners: Mercon, Orchid Coffee Export, Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, Simon Lévelt, HAS University of Applied Sciences

Summary
Agro sourcing is increasingly under pressure due to the effects of climate change on agricultural production. This project explores international partnerships to develop a stepwise approach to adapt agro sourcing to climate change. The project considers this challenge from a sourcing perspective and see what buyers can do in terms of climate smart sourcing in current and new agri production areas. This project executes a pilot for coffee sourcing in Ethiopia.

Ethiopian coffee is a relevant case as it is a center of origin and diversity of arabica coffee. About 5 million people, or approximately 15% of the country’s total population derive their livelihoods from coffee. At the same time, Ethiopian weather stations reported an average rate of 0.28 °C temperature increase during the last decades, while spring and summer rains have declined by 15–20% in southern, south-western and south-eastern Ethiopia. It seems that these climate change effects could be negative and positive. It will negatively impact much of the current coffee farming landscape of Ethiopia, however, substantial high altitude areas that were previously unsuitable for coffee will become suitable as the century progresses.

Ultimately, climate smart coffee sourcing should assure long term supply of high quality coffee from Ethiopia. This would be of benefit for Dutch coffee traders, roasters and sellers, as well as Ethiopian coffee farmers. The objective of the project is to test the feasibility of developing a stepwise approach for climate smart agro sourcing strategies within the structure and collaboration model of a new to be designed TKI PPS project.

Presentation