From Economic Vulnerability to Sustainable Livelihoods: The Case of Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in Ethiopia

Abstract

As the fast growing agribusiness cooperative in Ethiopia, Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, OCFCU was established in 1999 by 34 cooperatives with $90,000 USD in capital. Today, OCFCU has 240 cooperatives and capital exceeding $12,000,000 USD. Well known in the specialty coffee market, OCFCU works with growers across Ethiopia influencing communities economically and socially. Using the GLIMPSE perspective, we investigate the raw-bean procurement, transportation, quality control, and economies realized through coordination, on-going initiatives to capture value-added in processing, and associated challenges in the East African context of small-holder farmers, credit and infrastructure constraints.