Bonga University to graduate the first coffee science graduates
In comparison to other parts of the world where coffee was later introduced, such as South America and Asia, coffee education in Ethiopia is in its infancy and is only focused on a few dispersed components of coffee science, despite Ethiopia's expected role in taking a leading role in coffee education and research. This in turn has contributed to inadequate agronomic practices, weak technology development, distribution, and adoption, limited market integration, price volatility, climate change, and weak institutional ties hampering the coffee industry’s progress.
Recently, the Ethiopian government has taken on various strategies and implementations for growing coffee education. As such, the establishment of a dedicated coffee college at Bonga University is a noteworthy undertaking. The coffee science and technology college announced the graduation of its first 37 coffee science bachelor’s degree graduates. The coffee college also added that it will graduate candidates with Master’s degrees in the coming year, with plans to open a Ph.D. program in the coming few years. In addition to mainstream programs, various trainings are given by partner organizations. For instance, TechnoServe, a nonprofit organization, has been running the ‘’Coffee Farm College" to teach farmers how to increase productivity. Throughout its decade-long journey, TechnoServe’s "Coffee Farm College" was able to train close to 200,000 farmers.
ICO released its biannual Coffee Report & Outlook (CRO)
The International Coffee Organization (ICO) released its latest report, which included coffee production and consumption statistics for the global coffee industry with an added focus on the increasing consumption of coffee in producing countries. The biannual report also introduced a new methodology for calculating coffee production and consumption.
