For farming families in central Peru, coca production brought income but also a constant threat of violence. Back then, these regions were dominated by the drug trade. Today, families in former coca-growing areas are learning how to improve their livelihoods through an alternative crop: coffee.
The women behind Mishky Cacao decided to create a safer future for their families and community – transitioning from coca to cocoa production and generating new value by manufacturing chocolate.
After 12 years with TechnoServe, Victor Ganoza, country director in Peru, will be retiring next month. We sat down with him to reflect on his time with the organization, the biggest challenges he has faced along the way, and what has been the most rewarding part of his work.
Meet Dara Obispo, a 19-year-old single mother living in Peru’s Amazon basin. With tailored agronomy and financial literacy training, she has increased her cocoa production seven-fold — and gained a new outlook on life.
Chocolate is one of the world’s most popular foods, but who actually grows the cocoa that serves as the base for this delicious treat? Meet a few of the farmers who are changing their lives using income from cocoa.
By supporting innovation and the transfer of technology between regions, TechnoServe is helping women farmers improve their production and their lives.
In the next part of our consumer spotlight series, we are highlighting the unique profile of Peruvian coffee. In Peru, TechnoServe works with coffee farmers in former coca-growing regions through the Coffee Alliance for Excellence (CAFE) program.
In San Martín, Peru, coca used to dominate the landscape. Now, through the Coffee Alliance for Excellence (CAFE) program, farmers in former coca-growing regions are learning how to improve their livelihoods through coffee.
In San Martin, the Apahuit cooperative is working alongside TechnoServe and their farmer members to implement simple, ecofriendly techniques that boost their cocoa yields, improve incomes, and fight deforestation.
Kyle and Katina Connaughton, owners/operators of SingleThread Farms, recently traveled to Peru through the Chefs for Change initiative – a program that connects the world’s best chefs to smallholder farmers in developing countries.
