Unique agroforestry system in Raphe

The Gedeo people in southern Ethiopia use the land in tiers. Their agroforestry system is so special that UNESCO has recognized it as a World Heritage Site.

Dear reader

"The forest is our life," say the people of the Raphe district, our new project area. The forest gardens have been around for centuries, similar to the traditional economic systems in the Alps. The people of Raphe appear to us to be the "Swiss of Ethiopia": they belong to the Gedeo people, who are known throughout Ethiopia as peace-loving. Disputes are not resolved by force, but within the circle of elders. Balance and dialog characterize the mentality. Their work ethic is impressive. The slopes in their mountainous homeland are steep and all cultivation is done by hand.

However, the tried and tested agroforestry system is reaching its limits. This is because the population is growing rapidly: there are already many young families who no longer have forest gardens.

In order to secure their food supply, Menschen für Menschen is therefore not only focussing on promoting agriculture. We offer alternatives, especially in small-scale trade, with training and start-up capital. We particularly support women.

Young couples complained that they often had no access to contraceptives in the past. We are now ensuring that they are always in stock at the state health centres. So that families only have the number of children they want. And the land and the forest can once again feed everyone.

Claudio Capaul and Michael Kesselring
Co-Managing Directors Menschen für Menschen

CO-Geschäftsführer Claudio Capaul und Michael Kesselring

In the forest garden

Wonderful forest: without artificial fertilizers or irrigation, the hard-working farmers get an amazing amount out of small areas of agroforestry.

Tall trees (up to 35 meters)

Giant trees provide timber and firewood. Their leaves fertilize the soil. Beehives hang in their branches. Their roots protect the slopes from erosion and ensure a good water balance.

Fruit trees (5-12 meters)

Mango or avocado trees provide vitamins and calories and cash in market sales.

Ensete (8-12 m)

The ensete, also known as the "false banana", provides kotcho, the staple food in southern Ethiopia.

Coffee (2-3 m)

The famous forest coffee, known to connoisseurs as "yirgacheffe", only thrives in the shade of trees and shrubs. It is the most important source of income for many families.

Graphic agroforestry: Different tree species in a row

Soil layer (< 1 m)

At the same time, vegetables grow here for home consumption and market sale as well as fodder for goats, sheep and cattle. Beans add nitrogen to the soil. Organic residues from trees and shrubs attract worms, bacteria and other little helpers - these make the soil loose and ensure good nutrient cycles.

In the land of Gedeo

Women

Agriculture

Microcredits

Green landscape, empty plates

Drei Frauen tragen Holzbündel auf ihrem Rücken

Project reports

26. June 2025

The Gedeo people have created a unique agricultural system that is considered a World Heritage Site. But under the green canopy, poverty is growing: the land can no longer feed all the families. The foundation is helping with seeds, knowledge - and education.

Forest in the land of the Gedeo in Raphe — The forest gardens on the mountain slopes are a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Well protected?

THE LEAVES OF THE ENSETE ARE VERSATILE. Food is wrapped in them and ropes are made from their fibres. Very poor families in Raphe have no mattresses - the leaves are sometimes their only sleeping surface. And they often serve as an umbrella in the downpours of the rainy season.

A boy protects himself from the rain with a Ensete leaf

Unknown superfood

Country and people

The Ensete is the most important element of the forest gardens: In southern Ethiopia, the shrub is also known as the "plant against hunger". Its pulp is crushed and fermented in soil pits for weeks to months. Families use the plant pulp to bake a sour, bread-like food called kotcho. It is the basis of survival for around 24 million people in southern Ethiopia.