Ethiopia in flux

Here’s an interesting five-minute video from World Focus, a public television news show, about the status of coffee growing in coffee’s birthplace Bonga, Ethiopia. As we’ve seen in coffee growing regions around the world, when coffee farmers can’t find the markets or prices for their crops, the temptation is strong to uproot the plants and grow something else. In Ethiopia a huge challenge comes from the addictive, easy to grow (though soil-depleting) narcotic khat.

[youtube v_PJBXRWFeY]

About Ken 262 Articles
Kenneth R. Olson (he/him) is co-founder and publisher of Barista Magazine the worldwide trade magazine for the professional coffee community. He has written extensively about specialty coffee, traveled near and far for stories, activities, and fun, and been invited to present on topics important to coffee culture. He is also an avid fan of the Portland Trail Blazers, the Washington Huskies, and public libraries.