COFFEE IS SORTED AT THE START OF THE ANNUAL HARVEST AT MARUA FARMERS COFFEE COOPERATIVE...

COFFEE IS SORTED AT THE START OF THE ANNUAL HARVEST AT MARUA FARMERS COFFEE COOPERATIVE IN NYERI REGION, CENTRAL KENYA. A Kenyan worker loads a bag with drained coffee for sorting at the start of the annual harvest at Marua farmers coffee cooperative in Nyeri region, central Kenya. Hundreds of small-scale farmers bring their coffee beans to the cooperative for processing and many walk several km (miles), carrying coffee on their backs or in wheelbarrows, to get their harvest to the ooperative. Kenya's main coffee growing area, considered one of the world's highest quality coffee regions, is just over 100 km (miles) north of the Equator, around Mount Kenya, where high altitude and rich volcanic soil produce high quality beans. Picture taken December 10, 2003 REUTERS/Tom Kirkwood