This sector remains the mainstay for the majority of the people who depend on it for their livelihood and employment. Coffee is the largest income- earning plant. It is grown in five districts out of ten. Its production technique remains backward requiring research and improvement if the situation of women is to be improved. Several other crops and vegetables also grow in Sidama.
Animal husbandry is common along farming.
Cattle are usually kept for milk and meat or as a form of wealth accumulation. Trade, industry and tourist as well as service activities are restricted in the urban areas. Infrastructure Infrastructure in Sidama is extremely underdeveloped, even by Ethiopian standards, as few towns have electricity or a clean water supply. Deprivation in rural areas is even more extreme. Many remote parts have no roads.