INTERPAKS, The introduction of coffee to the Poka of northern Malawi in 1930 was met with indifference and opposition. By 1966 the Poka were reasonably convinced that growing coffee was a profitable venture. However, wholesale adoption of coffee had not yet occurred. Examines specifically how introduction of coffee to Africans at a period of declining coffee value, low margin of African subsistence, and labor pattern, operated against wholesale adoption. The land tenure system has not been a problem. Describes briefly the people and their traditional economy. Examines the introduction of coffee to Malawi and the Poka, and discusses the twin problems of subsistence and labor patterns as they affect existing and potential growers. Compares the experiences of European and Poka coffee growers.
