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In the heart of Ethiopia’s Oromia Region, 420 kilometres away from Addis Ababa, lies Sadi Loya—a small town in the Gera District, Jimma Zone. Here lives Teyib Hussien, a hardworking farmer who, like most of his neighbours, cultivates coffee and produces honey, boasting 75 beehives. Farming and honey production define life in Sadi Loya, but Teyib has carved out a distinct livelihood—one that has set him apart from his peers: tree seed collection.
For nearly three decades, Teyib has harvested seeds from towering trees, a skill born from his years as a beekeeper.“In 1995 the Gera District administration planned to raise seedlings and plant trees on some barren land,” Teyib recalls. “The chairperson of the district agriculture office, Befirdu, approached me and asked if I could supply tree seed. He knew I was an experienced tree climber because of my work with bees.”
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Teyib Hussien with a ladder, he and his colleagues use for tree climbing. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF
The traditional cylindrical beehive, crafted from tree logs, is typically suspended in the branches of tall trees. To place his hives, Teyib would scale dozens of trees using ropes—a feat that requires both courage and agility. Fearless in the heights of the canopy, the brave-hearted and agile farmer was well suited for the challenge. It was this skill that led him to an unexpected new venture: tree seed collection. And what began as a side endeavour soon became a defining part of his livelihood.“At first, I supplied between 100 to 300 kilos of seed to the district, then expanded to the Jimma Zone,” Teyib says. “Back then, I was paid two to three birr per kilo. At that time, just two birr could cover a day’s expenses. I continued supplying tree seeds for the next 14 years by myself.” Then, in 2009, an idea emerged that would transform Teyib’s solo enterprise.
“One day, Mohammed Abdella, an official from the district’s Natural Resource Protection Office, told me, ‘You can’t meet the demand for tree seeds alone. The need is growing, and the regional government wants more. Why don’t you form a cooperative and work in a group?’” Teyib recalls. “He asked if I could gather 15 people to start a cooperative. I agreed.”
That same year, Segni Lalissa Cooperative was founded, with Teyib as its chairperson. Their success soon attracted the attention of a private seed company, Eden Field. Representatives from the company visited Sadi Loya, proposing Teyib and his colleagues a partnership. They asked if the cooperative could supply tree seed, and the group readily accepted.
Eden Field went further, helping establish three additional cooperatives in three neighbouring kebeles (lowest government administration) of Sadi Loya. Alongside Teyib’s group, they provided a four-day training session in tree seed collection and handling for 60 farmers across all four cooperatives.
However, only Segni Lalissa moved forward with the trade. “The other three cooperatives never collected seed,” Teyib recollects. “Their members were afraid of climbing trees. But since I already had experience, our cooperative took the lead. We first collected large quantities of Cupressus lusitanica seeds, along with some Millettia ferruginea and Sesbania sesban and sold them to Eden Field.”
The financial rewards were transformative. The first payment from Eden—40,000 birr (approximately USD 3,125 at the time)—was staggering for the group. It was more money than they had ever earned from farming. Encouraged by their success, they later sold additional seeds to Eden for 70,000 birr (around USD 4,015).
After working with Eden Field for a couple of years, another opportunity arose. The Dima Tree Seed Centre of Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise (OFWE), a government-owned centre, arrived in Teyib’s village and sought out the cooperative.
“The Dima staff asked us how much Eden was paying us per kilo of seed,” Teyib recalls. “ I told them we sold Cupressus lusitanica seed for 20 birr per kilo and Millettia ferruginea for between five and ten birr. They responded, ‘Eden is reselling the same seed to us for 100 birr. Stop your contract and work with us instead. We will pay you 50 birr per kilo for both Cupressus lucitanica and Millettia ferruginea seeds.’” The offer was too good to refuse. The cooperative switched its contract to Dima and was granted access to Cupressus lusitanica plantations owned by OFWE found near Sadi Loya. All seeds from those plantations were sold at a ten-birr discount per kilo, i.e. 40 birr.
Teyib remembers the time his cooperative sold 240 sacks of tree seed to the Dima Tree Seed Centre. The seeds were loaded onto a large truck and the group was paid a staggering 611,000 birr—a milestone in their journey. During the cooperative’s peak years, Teyib himself earned between 300,000 and 400,000 birr annually from tree seed sales. Individual earnings varied, depending on each member’s contribution.
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Teyib Hussien in front of his house. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF
“The money helped me build my house,” Teyib says. “I toiled hard back then and climbed as many trees as I could in a single day. One day, my brother saw me while I was fully covered with dust from the trees and he barely recognized me. He laughed and said, ‘‘You look like a madman. If you already have food on your plate, why work this hard?’”
For Teyib, tree seed collection was more than a source of income—it was a means of transforming his family’s future. “The money I earned from selling tree seed was a driving force to work harder. It improved my standard of living and allowed me to send my children to university,” Teyib says. “Today, two of them have graduated.”
Now in his early fifties, Teyib—a broad-shouldered, strong man of average height—no longer climbs trees. His fearless ascent of towering trunks ended two years ago when a rope snapped, sending him plummeting to the ground. “No tree was ever too high for me until that day,” he reflects.“The rope I was climbing down with broke. It was a serious accident, but Allah spared my life. My ankle still aches, and I walk with a slight limp. But my son has joined me in the cooperative, and I hope he will eventually replace me in the cooperative when I retire.”
When the Segni Lalissa Cooperative was established 15 years ago, it included four women. Among them was Misku Aba Oli, a petite, slender woman who, along with her husband, has been a member since the beginning.
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Misku and her husband Ahmed. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF
While cultural norms prevent women from climbing trees, they are crucial in seed extraction and cleaning. “I once earned 12,000 birr in a single payment and I used it to build my house,” Misku proudly says, her face beaming with a genuine smile. “Seed collection doesn’t clash with our farming work as most seeds ripen after we harvest coffee beans,” she explains. “That’s why I’ll continue this work.”
Misku and her husband, Ahmed Aba Bulgo, used to live in a small thatched-roof hut on the outskirts of the village. Today, they live in the heart of Sadi Loya, in a larger tin-roofed house.
“I once got 100,000 birr in a single payment,” Ahmed recollects. “At other times, I made between 20,000 and 50,000 birr. Misku, on her own, has earned a sum of about 90,000 birr ever since joining the cooperative.”
“We worked hard together, saved diligently and bought this land,” Ahmed says. “We built this house using the money from tree seed sales. Our lives have changed completely. We worked together and we grew together.”
Over the years, the Segni Lalissa Cooperative has grown to 25 members, with 13 of them being women. Today, the group mainly collects seeds from Cupressus lusitanica and Eucalyptus camaldulensis, with smaller quantities sourced from Millettia ferruginea and Sesbania sesban.
In January 2022, the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) Provision of Adequate Tree Seed Portfolios (PATSPO) project provided the cooperative with seed collection tools and equipment. However, maintaining these resources remains a challenge.
“We are very grateful for the support,” says Teyib. “But as the equipment wears out, we need additional assistance to replace and maintain our tools.”
Training has also been a key component of the cooperative’s development. PATSPO had previously organised skill-building sessions for the members. On 20 November 2024, the group received another round of training, this time with a strong focus on enhancing women’s participation to ensure they receive equal learning opportunities alongside their male counterparts.
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Cooperative member, Zeinaba Aba Jihad. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF
One of those women is Zeinaba Aba Jihad, who joined the cooperative five years ago.
“Men and women are paid equally,” Zeinaba says. “The men climb trees, but we gather the seeds from the ground, then we do the extraction and cleaning. Women’s work is demanding and time-consuming, but we don’t complain. I joined the group after seeing the tangible improvement in the livelihoods of other group members.”
However, Zeinaba notes that the once-thriving business is facing new economic pressures. “The income is not as appealing as it used to be because of the rising cost of living,” Zeinaba admits.”But today’s training was very encouraging. It reassured me that tree seed collection is still valued. I want to keep working with the cooperative.”
Teyib and Ahmed both acknowledge that tree seed collection is no longer as lucrative as it once was. “We collect seeds fighting with baboons and snakes,” Teyib says. “But these days, it is hardly worth the effort. We are selling a kilo of Cupressus lusitanica seed for 100 birr (0.79 USD), but the purchasing power of the birr has weakened significantly. What used to be a profitable trade barely covers costs now. We hope OFWE will take the current economic realities into account and raise the price of seeds.”
Lemma Kitila, Head of the Dima Tree Seed Centre, acknowledges the concerns.
“We revise seed prices every three to six months,” Lemma explains.” Compared to other trees, collecting Cupressus lusitanica seeds is relatively easy. However, we will do some study and will consider adjusting the price accordingly.”
For the people of Sadi Loya, tree seed collection has long provided a vital source of supplementary income, fitting conveniently into the agricultural calendar without conflicting with coffee harvesting. The Dima Tree Seed Centre continues to rely heavily on Sagni Lalissa Cooperative to collect particularly Cupressus lusitanica seeds, ensuring a steady demand.
Despite frustrations over pricing, cooperative members remain committed to the trade for as long as buyers keep coming. Over the years, the village of Sadi Loya has become synonymous with tree seed collection, a legacy largely shaped by Teyib Hussien’s decades of dedication.
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