Community Meeting in Sheda Kebele Launches Grassroots Engagement for Carbon Credit Pilot Project

As part of the “Empowering Ethiopian Coffee: A South-South Approach to Climate Finance and Carbon Credits” project, a pivotal community meeting was held on May 1, 2025, at Sheda Kebele, Bita Woreda, in the South-West Region. The event brought together 100 participants—predominantly women farmers—to introduce the objectives of the carbon credit pilot and discuss their role in climate-smart agriculture and agroforestry systems.

Chaired by Mr. Alemu Tesfaye, the Project Manager from OSSREA, the meeting began at 2:00 PM at the Sheda Kebele Meeting Hall and concluded at 5:00 PM. Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Atnafu, the Bita Woreda Administrator, who expressed strong support for the project and emphasized the need for urgent climate action at the grassroots level.

In his keynote address, Mr. Alemu outlined the project’s overarching goals, including mitigation of climate change impacts, reduction of carbon emissions, and the economic empowerment of women coffee producers. “This project is not just about carbon credits—it is about giving women the tools, knowledge, and resources to become agents of change in their communities,” he said. Dr. Yonas Yohannes, the project’s climate expert, presented the agroforestry model as a sustainable solution, explaining step-by-step how farmers can integrate coffee, banana, enset, and shade trees from seedling preparation to harvest. His technical explanation was skillfully translated into the local language by Mr. Worku Alemu, an expert from Bonga University, ensuring that all participants fully understood the messages.

The women farmers expressed overwhelming interest and enthusiasm. “We are the victims of climate change, and we thank you for understanding our problems,” one participant said. Others echoed support for the project’s gender-focused design, noting, “Women are more responsible for family care and more committed to agroforestry than men.”

Key points raised by participants included:

• Immediate desire to begin implementation
• Requests for improved varieties of coffee, banana, and enset
• Appreciation for agroforestry’s benefits to food security and soil conservation
• Interest in including complementary activities such as dairy and fish farming
• Emphasis on the long-term sustainability and continued support of the initiative

Participants also called for specific agroforestry species, such as suspania, susa, birbira for coffee shade, and korarima for intercropping.

Several technical questions were posed, including:

1. Whether there is a cure for coffee wilt disease
2. Whether the project can support local schools
3. Whether dairy farming is part of the planned activities

To ensure local ownership and coordination, the community nominated six representatives to form a committee to liaise with project implementers.

The event marked a successful start to the pilot engagement phase of the carbon credit initiative in Kaffa Zone, signaling strong community readiness and commitment to climate-resilient livelihoods. OSSREA, AECID and its partners will continue to build on this momentum to ensure inclusive and impactful implementation.