Andhra Pradesh: Araku Emerald, the organic gourmet coffee grown by tribals Bisoi Arjun from Malisingaram in Araku Valley mandal was just another impoverished tribal before he joined the 7,000-member Small and Marginal Tribal Farmers Mutually Aided Cooperative Society. When he was a farm labourer, he used to walk up to 30km a day, looking for jobs. Today he has a moped, a new house, four buffaloes, two wives and two children. Rumours are on that he has a third wife in a love nest somewhere! All thanks to the organic coffee for which Araku valley is now famous. Araku lies in the Anantagiri ranges of the Eastern Ghats. At 3,200ft above sea level, the climate is just perfect for coffee plantations. The Araku organic coffee project is part of the NGO Naandi Foundation's sustainable livelihood initiatives. The programme helped Arjun convert the wasteland he had into an environmental-friendly coffee plantation. And it is not just coffee Naandi helps marginalised farmers grow other crops like banana and pepper, which provide a secondary income. An agreement regarding coffee plantations and tribal welfare is on between the Coffee Board, Integrated Tribal Development Agency and Naandi. Araku is in Visakhapatnam district which has about 15 tribal groups. The main tribes are: Bagata, Khomdadora, Kotiya, Nooka Dora, Kondakapus, Kondakammara, Manneddora, Khond, Valmiki, Porja, Gadaba. The Khonds, Porja and Gadaba have been tagged as primitive tribal groups by the government. Coffee from the Araku valley is sold under the brand name Araku Emerald and has organic and fair-trade certification. The certification has increased the coffee's price and provides a fair trade premium for the cooperative society. About 4,000 tonnes