WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, a delegation of Yemeni coffee producers and exporters, as well as Yemeni government representatives, attended the Specialty Coffee Association of America Workshop in Boston to help introduce Yemen’s unique beans to America and other countries.

Yemen was one of the first countries where coffee was cultivated commercially. Many specialty coffee varieties worldwide owe their existence to Yemeni coffee, yet production of coffee in Yemen has been steadily decreasing.

The U.S. Government is working with the Yemeni Ministry of Agriculture to support Yemen’s coffee producers and help them provide for their families. With our partner, the Community Livelihoods Project, USAID supports an agriculture program that is designed to increase the presence of Yemeni coffee on the international gourmet market and in doing so help the livelihoods of Yemeni farmers.

USAID is also working in seven governorates – Sana’a, Dharma, Raymeh, Ibb, Tai’zz, Al Dali and Lahj – to teach farmers and producers more efficient post-harvesting techniques, with the aim of improving the quantity and quality of Yemen’s coffee to prepare it for the global market.

“Improving rural livelihoods in Yemen is essential to promoting the country’s economic stability,” said USAID’s Acting Assistant Administrator for the Middle East Bureau Alina Romanowski. “Helping to increase coffee production can have a big impact in a country where more than half of Yemenis make their living from agriculture.”