FIELD PROJECT

TITLE:PLANTATION FARMING:A CASE STUDY OF COFFEE GROWING AND PROCESSING AT

KATESHI COFFEE PLANTATION

NAME:CHISHIMBA CHISHIMBA
CLASS :12 RED
EXAMINATION NUMBER:180100990372
CENTRE NUMBER: 1013
TEACHER :MS MALISAWA
YEAR:2023
 DEDICATION
I am dedicating this project to my family and friends for the support they rendered to
me the time I wrote and researched this project.Also to my teacher of geography ,ms
malisawa ,for having made my research a success.
 TABLE OF CONTENT
ACKNOWLEGEMENT................................................................................1
DEDICATION.............................................................................................2
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION............................................................................3
1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT.................................................................4
1.2 PROBLEM DEFINATION.................................................................4
1.3 AIM................................................................................................4
1.4 OBJECTIVE.....................................................................................4
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 METHODOLOGY.............................................................................5
CHAPTER THREE
FINDINGS.................................................................................................6
3.0 DATA COLLECTION...........................................................................6
3.1 DATA PRESENTATION.......................................................................7
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 INTERPRETATION.............................................................................8
4.1 DATA ANALYSIS...............................................................................8
CAPTER FIVE
5.0 CONCLUTION..................................................................................9
5.1 RECOMMENDATION........................................................................10
CHAPTER SIX
6.0 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY................................................................11
1.
1

acknowledgement
I am grateful to my loving parents Mr and Mrs Chishimba for their financial support
and encouragement that they gave me when researched and wrote my project.
I am also thantful to my friends as well as my teacher Ms Malisawa for all the encouragement
and advice they give me.
 CHAPTER ONE

Introduction
BACK GROUND
Kateshi coffee plantation started operating in 1972.The company was initially owned by the
government but was sold to Olam Food Ingredients in 2012.Kateshi Coffee plantation was
established in order to grow coffee for both export and local use .It was also established in order
to provide employment to the local people and to generate income for the country though
foreign exchange.
The coffee plantation has expanded throughout the years due to the high demand for coffee
in the country and neighboring countries to which Zambia exports coffee.
LOCATION
Kateshi Coffee Plantation is situated in the northern part of Kasama District in the
central business district ,along Mbala road.The distance between Kateshi Coffee
Plantation and the post office is 32.1 kilometres.
 Problem statement
a. PROBLEM
What are the major challenges in coffee growing and processing
b. PROBLEM DEFINATION
The following were the measures exploited in relation to the problem above:
i. To find out the stages involved in coffee growing and processing
ii. To find out the number of workers the plantation has employed
iii. To establish the number of workers who are casual and permanent
iv. To ascertain when the plantation was established
c.AIM
The aim of the trip was to find out the stages involved in coffee growing and processing and
its benefits to the local people and the province.
d. OBJECTIVES
i. To find out the stages involved in coffee growing
ii. To find out the stages involved in coffee processing
iii. To establish the challenges faced in coffee growing
iv. To ascertain the socio-economic of coffee growing to the local people ,the
district and the country at large.
Literature review
 CHAPTER TWO

methodology
The following are the methods which were used during the research to collect data.
These methods are divided into two class namely, Primary and Secondary methods.
PRIMARY METHODS:
Observation: During the research observations were made. Workers were being
observed in order to see what they were doing.
Discussion: During the research I discussed with the workers I found at Kateshi estate
and they were able to give me the answers I wanted.
SECONDARY METHODS:
Recording: During the research, cell phone and recorders where used to record the
information which was being given by workers.
Photographing: Photographs were taken during the research in order, which were
showing how coffee grows and stages involved in coffee growing.
Interview guide: The interview guide helped me to know what i should ask the worker
and other people I found at the plantation
 CHAPTER THREE

Findings
DATA COLLECTION
Kateshi coffee plantation was established in 1972. It was first owned by the government
before it was privatised to private companies. It was established at that location due to the
availability of water, good soil, source of labour from the people of Kateshi village and due
to the transport which is available. The current owner of the plantation is a company from
Singapore called Olam food ingredients. Olam bought the company in 2013. Kateshi coffee
estate comprises of 777 hectors of land in which coffee is grown. It has employed 1500
workers in which 1000 are female and 500 are males. The plantation has no permanent
worker it has only contractual workers, local people and people from other districts
Coffee growing
The first step involved in coffee growing is to find a place with soil which supports
coffee growing. The soil which support coffee growing is sandy loam. Once the soil is found,
tractors are used to collect the soil. The soil is then sieved to remove the impurities and rock
particles which may be in the soil. After the soil is purified, it is mixed with fertiliser. The
mixture of the soil and fertiliser is placed in certain plastics which are specifically used to
plant seeds. The coffee seeds are planted in the plastics and watered. They are then
covered with grass to prevent direct sunlight. Frequent watering is need until the seeds
germinate. It takes 3-4 weeks for seeds to germinate.
After 6-7 months, the coffee plants are taken into green houses. The plants are
propagated by grafting. Grafting involves bringing two parts of the plants of same species
together to form one single plant which has the features of the two plants. The scion (the
upper part) is taken from a coffee plant known as miracle and the stock( the down part) is
taken from a coffee plant known as robberster. The upper part resist diseases and it bears a
lot of coffee. The down part has a tap root which is able to penetrate through the ground to
a greater height . The two parts are brought together and form a single plant. The
propagated plants are put in the green house to allow them to grow. The temperature in
the green house should be kept low, therefore, water is frequently supplied to the plants.
After 5-6 months, the coffee plants are taken out of the green house and replanted in the
plantation
It takes approximately 3 years for newly planted coffee bushes to bear fruits. The fruits,
commonly termed cherries, depending on the degree of ripeness, turn from green to bright
or dark red- the unripe ones being green in colour. Coffee cherries are difficult to harvest.
This requires coffee pickers to hand pick the coffee, picking by hand also allows only the ripe
cherries to be picked. Hand picking is a hard and labour intensive process where people
need to carefully check cherries for ripeness. Coffee cherries then go though multiple
processing methods.
Coffee processing
After harvesting, cherries are processed as soon as possible to avoid spoilage. Depending
on available resources and location, one of the following methods is used.
The dry method, also known as a “Natural method” is used when water is limited. Coffee
cherries are spread out across large surfaces to dry naturally and are routinely raked though
out the day to prevent any fruit from spoiling. They then covered at night or in the event of
rain to prevent the cherries from getting wet. This process can take several weeks to
complete and it is very difficult to execute well.
The wet method, it is called the wet method because this process involves 80% of
water. The wet method involves removing the pulp from the coffee cherry though a pulping
machine to separate the bean from the pulp and the skin of the cherry. Beans are then
passed though water channels and floatation drums where they separated by weight and
size, respectively. From there, the beans are then placed into fermentation tank filled with
water. Once the fermentation process is completed and the beans are rough to touch, they
begin the dry process. Drying beans that have been though the wet method can be done by
spreading them like the dry method or by machine-drying tumblers.
After the coffee beans are separated from the skin of the cherries, they are hulled to
remove all external layers that are no longer needed. The beans are then graded and sorted
based on size and weight.
Challenges kateshi coffee plantation is facing
Diseases and pastes. There are a number of diseases which attack coffee and these
include cercospora leaf spot, leaf lust and coffee berry disease .Apart from pests and
diseases ,theft is another challenge faced in coffee growing .The plantation also faces a
major problem of regular break down of machinery and due to this ,it has employed
engineers to address the problem.
 DATA PRESENTATION
Figure 1.0 shows the number of workers

Number of workers
500 Males

1000 females

1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
casaul workers permanent
workers
Figure 1.1
shows the number of casual workers and permanent workers

Figure 1.2 shows the stages involved in the wet factory

Pulping Floatation Fermentati Drying

machine drums on tank

Grading
according to
sizes

Packing
 CHAPTER FOUR

Data interpretation
According to figure 1.0, the total number of workers at kateshi coffee plantation is 1500.
1000 are females and 500 are males
According to figure 1.1, the total number of workers at kateshi coffee plantation is 1500.
There are no permanent worker, they are all casual workers
According to figure 1.2, the coffee cherries are first passed in pulping machine in order
to remove the pulp from the cherries. Then the beans are passed though floating drum
where they are separated by weight and size, respectively. From there, the beans are then
placed into fermentation tanks filled with water. After that, the beans are then dried either
using by using a machine or naturally. Then the beans are graded and packed according
based on size and weight.
 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Kateshi coffee plantation has reduced poverty in kasama because of the
fact that it has employed over 1500 people. Therefore, people are able to earn income to
support their families. Additionally, the nation has also benefited because it is able to export
coffee to other countries ,hence, earning foreign exchange.
 recommendation
I strongly recommend that Kateshi plantation should employ more people. The
government as well should help this plantation to overcome the challenges it is facing. The
plantation should also improve the security system in order to reduce theft.
 CHAPTER SIX

Limitations of study
During my research I faced some challenges which almost prevented me from doing my
research well. The following were some of the challenges I faced;
Financial problems, the school could not manage to hire a bus to carry all of us pupils
due to shortage of money. The other challenge is the state of the road, the road which led
to the plantation was in a very bad state. The road had a lot of potholes.
 TABLE OF CONTENT
ACKNOWLEGEMENT................................................................................1
DEDICATION.............................................................................................2
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION............................................................................3
1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT.................................................................4
1.2 PROBLEM DEFINATION.................................................................4
1.3 AIM................................................................................................4
1.4 OBJECTIVE.....................................................................................4
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 METHODOLOGY.............................................................................5
CHAPTER THREE
FINDINGS.................................................................................................6
3.0 DATA COLLECTION...........................................................................6
3.1 DATA PRESENTATION.......................................................................7
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 INTERPRETATION.............................................................................8
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 CONCLUTION..................................................................................9
5.1 RECOMMENDATION........................................................................10
CHAPTER SIX
6.0 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY................................................................11