The Stumping Project – A FALCON COFFEES

A FALCON COFFEES | TECHNOSERVE INITIATIVE

Partner with one Ethiopian
coffee farmer & triple their crop in three years

With your support, Ethiopian coffee farmers can achieve a living income by rejuvenating their coffee trees. Be part of this three-year ‘stumping’ project that aims to double the coffee income of Ethiopian coffee farmers.

UPDATE: Since Season #1 in 2022, a total of 850 553 coffee trees have been stumped!

OLD COFFEE TREES CAN BE REJUVENATED

Stumped trees deliver increased yields and better quality coffee, which can ultimately contribute to providing a living income for Ethiopian farmers

Currently, the largest impediment to increased coffee productivity in Ethiopia is the lack of tree rejuvenation, also known as “stumping.”

Stumping coffee trees is the most critical step to improve yields and quality and is a prerequisite to achieving the impact of additional good agricultural practices (GAPs).

However, even though stumping a 25-year-old tree can generate yields equal to, or better than those of young trees, Ethiopian smallholder coffee farmers are reluctant to stump primarily due to the immediate, acute, and short-term loss of income for 1.5 years while their trees stems regrow.

A two-year pilot project conducted by the international development nonprofit TECHNOSERVE in Sidamo, Ethiopia, demonstrated the impact sponsored tree-stumping can achieve.

This pilot found that if farmers can be persuaded and incentivized to stump old trees, they can achieve the following outcomes over a three-year period:

– After one harvest without production, these stumped trees will return to yields at 70% of pre-stumped levels in the second year

– In the following year’s harvest, these trees will have the potential to produce between two and four times more cherries for the next six years

The stumping process

STEP 1

Select old trees that require stumping.
No more than a 1/4 of a farm.

STEP 2

Cut at a height of 30cm from the ground, at an angle of 45° away from the stump

STEP 3

Once the suckers are 20-30 cm high, select the best 3 suckers to become the new main stems.

STEP 4

After 18 months, the new main stems will start to produce cherries.

Ethiopian smallholder coffee farmers are reluctant to stump older trees primarily due to the immediate short-term loss of income. To encourage stumping adoption, The Stumping Project, with your support, will incentivize* farmers with farming tools.

*In a 2019 pilot project, farming tool incentives led to approximately five times more trees being stumped.

“When I visit my farm, I am proud of the decision I made; it is a life-changing decision. It brought real success in my life. I have never harvested so much coffee on my farm!”

Tigist Wube

A 2015 Cohort coffee farmer in Aleta Wondo Woreda.

During the 2019 harvest season, Tigist harvested 2,500kg of red cherries from the stumped trees, a huge increase from the 500kg harvest before she stumped in 2016. She expects to produce at least 7,500kg next year.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

Training, Verification, Reward

For the full duration of this three-year project, The Stumping Project will train farmers, using TechnoServe’s Coffee Farm College methodology, in small, self-selected Focal Farmer Groups (FFGs) of roughly 30 farming households.

Small groups have the benefit of enabling field-based classrooms and demonstration plots where farmers can see first-hand the results of GAPs.

Highly trained women and men Farmer Trainers that have been recruited from local communities will provide monthly, activity-based lessons that allow farmers to engage in practical application of the training they receive.

STEPS TO DISTRIBUTION OF INCENTIVES

1) After harvest (January), trainers will teach farmers how to renew their trees using the stumping technique. Stumping needs to occur directly after the previous harvest and before flowering (March).

2) In the weeks that follow (February), the TechnoServe Farmer Trainers will visit the trained farmers to establish which farmers have elected to stump. These farms will then be placed on record.

3) Based on these records, a verification survey (March – May) will be rolled out, where each farm on the list will be audited to capture:

• the number of trees that have been stumped

• the GPS co-ordinates and shape of the stumped area

• basic details about the farmer

At the end of these surveys, a Guarantee Card will be handed out to the farmer indicating the type of incentive tool set they will receive based on the number of stumped trees.

4) In June and July, distribution events will be held at the farmer group level (FFG) where the tools are given to farmers according to their registered package (Guarantee Card) in the system.

READ THE STORY of Fedila Hussein and Mustafa Tesfaye, who struggled to earn a living from coffee. Their coffee trees were old and were not producing enough to cover the living expenses of their family of six. After participating in the Stumping Project, their farm is flourishing, and they have seen a 23-fold increase in their coffee production.

IMPACT & REPORTING

Get to know the farmer you are supporting and track their progress over the next 3 years

YOUR DETAILED REPORT AND WHEN TO EXPECT IT

After farm verification and incentive distribution has been completed, a Stumping Verification Report will be sent to each contributor. There will be one such report per year.

This report will contain:

• information on training progress and overall stumping adoption levels

• farmer name, village name/location, GPS of stumped area, number of trees stumped and type of package received

• an impact story – a tailored report of the households listed that you are uniquely supporting through your contribution

You can expect to receive these reports in September following the stumping season.

Days

... left to register for the 2025 stumping season

“When I look at the trees we stumped and the coffee on them, it is like a dream. It wipes away most of my tears from the other community issues we have gone through. It gives me hope that I will rebuild my house and my children will have a future.”

Abaa Beyene

Age 45. Bule Hora Woreda

HOW TO MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION

For $140 per farmer, or 9.3 USC/Kg on your next 25 bags from Falcon Coffees, you can help an Ethiopian coffee farming family double their coffee income.

EXCLUSIVE TO FALCON COFFEES CUSTOMERS

For a total cost of US$140, you can sponsor an Ethiopian coffee farmer to stump over 150 coffee trees.

Your contribution will be used exclusively to provide an incentive in the form of farming implements (a wheelbarrow, pruning shears and saw) for your farmer-partner.

REGISTER below to join this programme and see the impact you can have on the wellbeing of smallholder Ethiopian farmers and the quality of the coffee they grow.

“At first I was doubtful about adopting the practices I learned at the training, but our trainer encouraged me, visited my farm, and even offered to help me in the field.”

“After one month of applying the practices I started to see the suckers shoot up and I became a believer.”

Aba Mecha

Age 35. Dobe Kebele, Aleta Wondo Woreda

GET YOUR CUSTOMERS INVOLVED

Detailed reports will allow you to engage your customers in this project and highlight the impact you are making together on the lives of smallholder Ethiopian farmers

As a participant in The Stumping Project, you are entitled to make full use of The Stumping Project identity alongside your own brand collateral.

Download The Stumping Project logo

Detailed reporting will allow you to share with your customers the exact location (GPS co-ordinates incl.), name of the farmer, as well as the positive impact everyone is making on their lives.