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Aragash Gelcha’s farm is located in Halo Shashemene village, within Halo Bariti kebele, part of the Gedeb district in the Gedio zone, Eastern Southern Ethiopia. This region is known for producing some of the best coffees in Yirgacheffe.
On her 5-hectare farm, Aragash grows coffee as a cash crop alongside enset (false banana) and fruit trees to feed her 12 children (6 daughters, 6 sons).
In 2018 Ethiopia’s coffee exporting rules were updated, allowing smallholders to directly export their own coffee. Though granted an export license, Aragash has faced many challenges over the last seven years in accessing stable and fair coffee markets due to a range of systemic and logistical barriers.
Despite these difficulties, Aragash and her family continue to produce an average of 800 kg of green coffee per hectare. During the off-season, the entire family works together to apply best agronomic practices, ensuring the health and sustainability of the farm.