Determinants of Arabica Coffee Yield and Farmers’ Preference to Shade Trees Species at Jimma Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract Coffea arabica L. is one of the major economically important crops grown in the southwestern part of Ethiopia. However, the productivity of coffee is very low in the region. The main aim of the study was to assess the determinants of arabica coffee yield and farmers’ preference to shade tree species in Jimma zone, Southwestern Ethiopia. Two districts (Chora Botor and Limu Kossa) were selected purposively out of nine coffee-growing districts in Jimma zone. Three kebeles from Chora Botor and five kebeles from Limmu Kossa were randomly selected to run the household survey (399 randomly selected coffee growers). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and STATA software. Ordinary Least square (OLS) regression models were implemented to resolve the determinant of coffee yield. The results indicated that socioeconomic and biophysical factors such as gender, education level, family size, coffee-growing experience, coffee farm size, weed management practices, disease, and insect pests were found to be determinants of coffee yield. Although the scale of shade tree preferences varies, farmers prefer coffee shade trees that have long heights, wider crown shapes, and evergreen leaves throughout the growing season. Accordingly, the ranking analysis in both districts indicated that Albizia gummifera, Acacia abyssinica, and Millettia ferruginea were the greatest preferred coffee shade tree species by farmers of the study area. Hence, improving the capacity of farmers about coffee farm management skills and promoting the use of preferred coffee shade trees should be strengthened to improve the coffee yield and quality in the region.