Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023): Unveiling the shift of smallholders’ Cash Crop Farming from Coffee-orchard to Khat in Sidama region, Ethiopia

The study unveiled the recent competing shifting of cash cropping smallholders’ farmland use from coffee and orchard fruits to khat farming based on the empirical evidence collected from the Sidama region, Ethiopia. Despite the national economic and sociocultural importance of coffee in Ethiopia, large tracts of coffee farmland are being cleared and converted to khat cropping in Sidama, Ethiopia. A mixed research design with both quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. The sampling technique was multistage. The multistage sampling technique that combined purposive, stratification and simple random sampling techniques was used. Two woredas, namely Dara and Aleta Chuko were purposely selected, and from Dara, 190 respondents were randomly selected from three kebeles, and from Aleta Chuko, 192 respondents were selected randomly from three kebeles, and a total of 382 farm households were selected from the study area.
Primary data was collected using survey questionnaires, interviews, observation, and focus group discussions. The logistic regression technique was used to identify the determinants of farmland shift from coffee and orchard fruit farming to khat farming. The study revealed that in one district of the study area, khat plantation
coverage increased from 86 hectares in 2018/19 to 170 hectares in 2019/20. In this district, from twenty-four kebeles (the smallest administrative unit), sixteen kebeles were coffee producers. Currently, three of them are converted by khat cropping. Among other factors, market bureaucracy, market access, and income strongly contributed to the shift of coffee farmland into khat farming. Furthermore, the study revealed that the shift is poverty-induced and is an alternative to the ever-challenging smallholder’s livelihood, and the expansion of khat farming brought negative sociocultural and political consequences to the local community. On the contrary, the government follows non-involvement farmland use policy to khat production and marketing for undefined reasons. We confirmed some actors, such as local state authorities, brokers, and traders have networked interests in khat production and marketing. The study contributes to policy debate, dialogue, and inputs on cash crop farming.