Thepolltical Economy of Coffee Production, Processing and Marketing In Gedeo and Sidama: Local, National and Global Developments (1941 TO 2010)
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Date
2015-12
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This dissertation, reconstructs the role that coffee played in multifaceted changes that took place
in the two regions of southern Ethiopia, predominantly inhabited by the p eople of Gedeo and
Sidama. Th e study covers a period of seven decades, starting ji-om the middle of the twentieth
centllly. Its central theme is interaction of people and govel"llments in the coffee economy, and
reaction of people and govemments to local, national and global forces to man-made and
natural circumstances. In the course of explaining continuity and change in relations and
interactions of people and govel"llment in the coffee economy of the regions, which is the central
thesis olthis research, thefollowing sub themes such as: how Ethiopia did not care about cofTee
at production level, cofTee both its production and trade facilitated il1legration of these twa
regions to the Ethiopian State, th e situation of cojfee before 1974 that was dominated by nonindigenous
settlers and after 1974 the local agency took the leading, how the Ethiopian and
Gedeo and Sidama coffee industlY suffered under the dictation of the world coffee market,
imposition of c(jIJee production on the local people and lillie benefit they got ji-OIl1 it, and the
nature of coffee production, processing and marketing (small-scale production at local level by
local hOl/seholds, and large-scale production and processing by others sl/ch as the nafe/alilia,
tekelalilia, cooperatives and associations) were discussed in nine chapters of the dissertation as
part and parcel of the main th esis that shows developments related to the c(jIJee economy. To
show interactions alld reactions oj peoples and governments, and to trace continuities and
changes in the StOI)" all sources (primOly and secondary and written as well as oral) were
utilized. lv/areover, allalyses were made to substantiate arguments alld il1IeJpre/aliolls a/variOUS
sources. Afier employing all sorts olsources, the study has come to display the/ollowing major
findings. Owing to its becoming a pillar of the national export for long in the past, c(jIJee had
come 10 experience several reforms, which qffected ils production, processing Gild marketing and
interaction of the stakeholders at various levels. Besides, the onerous and continl/OliS prices fa ll
in the world coffee market appeared to have been the source of all evil in the coffee induslly,
which provoked both governments of th e countly al1d coffee farmers of the 11110 regions to react
against coffee by responding to local, national and global dares to the coffee economy. This in
tU/'/1 became bleSSing in disguisefor both Gedeo and Sidal1la cojfee farmers and governments of
the cOIlI1I1)' to gradually diversifj' 'heir f arms and export menu respectively at the expense of
cojfee to maximize their incoll1e and lI1il/imize shocks 'hat lIsed to cOll1e ji-01l1 the world coJree
market.Key to System of Trallsliteratioll
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System of Trallsliteratioll