Abstract:
Environmental degradation is a negatively human caused factor affecting the environment of
developing countries including Ethiopia. Whereas environmental restoration is a very
significant practice that reverses the situation. The study was under taken in Gida Ayana
woreda of east wollega zone, Ethiopia. The objective of the study is to investigate the
implication of coffee production on environmental restoration and identifies factor that
causes land degradation in the area. In order to achieve the objectives of the study both
primary and secondary data were collected. 178 sample households’ head were selected by
simple and systematic random sampling techniques from the four purposively selected
kebeles. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques of data analyses were employed. In
quantitative data analysis, frequency distribution, independent sample t-test and Pearson’s
coefficient of correlation were used. While interviews, FGD and field observation results
were described qualitatively to validate the study. The finding of the study indicated that the
cause of the environmental degradation of the area was related to the large family size of the
households. i.e. more than 60% of them have more than five family size, the low educational
status of the households more than 50% of them were unable to read and write as a result
majority of them were incapable of using modern environmental restoration practices, the
dominant production of cereal crops production in the area for a long period of time more
than 90% of the sample households were still produce cereal crops that severely degraded
the natural environment of the area and also considering environmental responsibility as the
only tasks of males nearly 85% of the sample households were males who took more
responsibility in both environmental degradation and restoration in the area. Then
empowering women`s status of environmental responsibilities, enhancing communities
educational status, controlling in appropriate cereal crops cultivation, increasing a shade
coffee production and emphasizing the coffee producing communities about its
environmental restoration benefits are some recommended measures to alleviate the
environmental problem observed in the area.
