khat is a leafy green shrub that grows extremely well in east africa. the fresh leaves have been chewed for countless generations in ethiopia and somalia - khat is a semi-powerful stimulant, certainly more potent than coffee but not nearly as intoxicating as its narcotic siblings. until recently khat has been an accepted part of ethiopian culture - it is the type of thing that must make a day of picking or sorting coffee beans a hell-of-a-lot-more-tolerable. but in the past decade khat usage and production has grown exponentially and seems to only beginning its ascent to the top of the east african crop pyramid.
khat farmers make about three times what coffee farmers make - you know you are on a khat farm when the common dirt hut has been replaced by a concrete abode - and if the sound of international television can be heard you can be assured it is not arabica in the fields.
the question is - how do you feel about this growing issue?
it is not an easy argument to pounce on - if you have seen the living conditions of the coffee farmers it would be nothing short of complete arrogance to denounce this crop in a full throated invective. if you have worked a day picking coffee cherries - or rather three months (something i have not done) - then again you might find khat less offensive - and if you are the struggling ethiopian government khat is about the best source of funds to improve the living quality of your constituents - and if you are a north american that thinks that $4 is already way too much for a cup of coffee than you might have a hard time imagining that cup hiked to $10 to solve the problem.
i want to know what people out there think - i am not pro-khat in the least - i just think it is a fascinating topic....
Posts
