Women in Agriculture: How an Ethiopian Coffee Farmer is Redefining Success
In 2012, Lubaba Mekonnen joined a TechnoServe program that supported coffee farmers in her community. We reconnected with Lubaba in 2020 and again in 2024 to see how her life changed in the decade since first joining the program.
On the day we revisit Lubaba Mekonnen in Ethiopia’s Jimma zone, steady rain falls, leaving the reddish dirt with a subtle sheen. Children play nearby, unbothered by the weather. It’s 2024, and Lubaba’s house is different now, freshly painted bright blue with potted flowers and plants carefully arranged outside. Her life is different, too.
We first met Lubaba in 2012 when she joined TechnoServe’s Coffee Initiative. At the time, she struggled to manage a one-hectare coffee farm after separating from her husband. Raising two young children on her own and learning to manage a coffee farm was a daunting challenge, but it was one that Lubaba took on willingly to ensure a better future for her kids.
Women in Agriculture: The Seeds of Transformation
When a leader in Lubaba’s community mentioned the TechnoServe training, Lubaba eagerly signed up. At the time, coffee was her sole source of income. That year, she closely followed TechnoServe’s monthly training and applied everything she had learned to her farm. She stumped old coffee trees, started weeding the land regularly, prepared compost, and applied it to the stumped coffee trees.
Over time, she began to see a significant change on her farm. By 2020, her coffee income increased by 200%, she hired two day laborers to help her, and she built a new house and connected it to electricity. For Lubaba, this moment marked the beginning of a remarkable transformation in her life.
“The day I started training in coffee agronomy practices, I felt the weight of my life’s concerns instantly lift off my shoulders,” she recalled.
Beyond Coffee: Diversifying Agricultural Income
Today, Lubaba’s success has extended far beyond the farm. Equipped with the income from her coffee and her entrepreneurial spirit, she has:
- Established a small retail shop for additional income
- Launched a beekeeping operation with five hives, producing 10 kg of honey per hive
- Developed a eucalyptus tree plantation for the sale of timber
- Invested in property by purchasing 400 square meters of land, where she plans to build a house and rent it out
“Without better coffee yields and a positive mindset, I don’t think I would be where I am now,” Lubaba explained. “Especially because society does not expect women to prosper very much on their own.”
Empowering the Next Generation
Lubaba wants more for her children than she had herself. Using the income from her coffee, she has been able to pay for her children’s education. Her son is in his third year at Jimma University, studying accounting. Her daughter is in 12th grade and is eager to study medical science at university next year.
“Now I see a lot of opportunities, and it begins by being courageous,” Lubaba reflected. “The journey began with me understanding my coffee farm and giving it the best, and indeed, the farm also gave me the best.”
Lubaba has big plans for her life and her business. She wants to continue increasing her coffee yields through stumping and adding compost to improve her trees’ productivity and keep them healthy. She also plans to expand her beekeeping operation by purchasing modern hives and further diversifying her agricultural activities.
The Power of Women in Agriculture
Lubaba’s journey from a single parent struggling to support her family to a successful farmer and entrepreneur illustrates the transformative power of supporting women in agriculture. Her story demonstrates how access to training, combined with determination and innovation, can create lasting change not just for individuals but for entire communities.
“Coffee is the basis of my life,” Lubaba explained at the end of our visit, gesturing to the rows of coffee trees that dot the landscape. “Coffee raised and has taught my children and made me lead a happy life.”
