Analysis of stakeholders’ roles and interactions in quality coffee production: implications for sustainable land management in Yirgacheffe, Southern Ethiopia

Interactions among multiple stakeholders in coffee production have grown in importance in recent decades, as connections between individuals and groups have been established. The objective of the study is to examine the roles and connections of stakeholders in quality coffee production and the implications for sustainable land management in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. The stakeholders analysis—Process Net-Map and Participatory Analysis Matrix—was used to examine stakeholders' attributes, particularly their power and interest, as well as their interactions in quality coffee production. The data were gathered through key informant interviews and village focus group discussions. To investigate the perceived responsibilities of other stakeholders in sustainable land management, a household survey was undertaken with 352 randomly selected coffee farmers. The findings highlighted that stakeholders have varying degrees of power and interest in quality coffee production, and that the relationships and flows that exist among stakeholders for sustainable land management represent efforts from stakeholders along the coffee sector. The measures of the centrality and power-interest matrix of stakeholders demonstrated that government agencies have a greater outbound degree centrality and greater power than coffee producers do in coffee production. The study has revealed that there is asymmetrical power distribution among stakeholders for decisions and actions in quality coffee production and then sustainable land management. To make the coffee livelihood more sustainable, the study suggests policy intervention that strengthens strong partnerships among the stakeholders in quality coffee production in a way that sustainable land management would be enhanced.