A brief introduction to the characteristics of coffee planting environment in Yemen is it suitable for coffee cultivation in Yemen

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Yemen is one of the driest countries in the world. Economically, the country currently relies on oil exports for three-quarters of its income, but the World Bank predicts that the country's stocks will be used up around 2017. In a country that used to be self-sufficient in farming, 80% of its crops now have to be imported. The reasons include population expansion and water shortages caused by local misuse of Qat, a crop as old as coffee.

Chart grass is a social drug commonly used by residents of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemenis like to open rooms for banquets at home, chewing chatgrass and gossiping with friends. It contains the stimulant Cathinone, which is as refreshing as a light amphetamine. However, when the power of the drug weakens, the person who takes it will feel depressed. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) does not list it as a drug, it has been banned in many Western countries.

On the other hand, Yemen has been plagued by drought since ancient times. Its major cities rely on underground water, of which agriculture takes up 90% of the water, while growing Qat alone has already spent a lot of water, and authorities expect the underground water in the capital, Sana'a, to run out in 2017. Most of Yemen's cities are built on high mountains, and residents rely on well water from the government or the private sector for a living. The country has as many as 40, 000 to 70, 000 wells, some as deep as 600 meters underground. In addition, pumping water up the hill is expensive, with the government spending as much as $7 billion a year on drilling and pumping water. Therefore, in recent years, the local government has decided to ban chartgrass, which is a waste of water and cannot satisfy hunger, and replace it with other crops. Coinciding with the rise of the boutique coffee boom, the Yemeni government is now trying to encourage farmers to switch to coffee, which consumes half as much water as Chategrass.

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