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.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant challenges for many farming households in Uganda. But coffee can economically sustain families in a difficult time – if farmers can receive the information they need. A TechnoServe program is working to deliver that information to 30,000 farmers in central and western Uganda.
When Juliana Solís Barón first opened her coffee shop in Peru’s San Martín region, she had no idea what to expect. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, running a coffee shop for the first time presented many challenges. But building a stable, prosperous coffee sector in this once-dangerous area is helping farmers and entrepreneurs like Juliana to improve their incomes and lives.
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.
When Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico in September 2017, many coffee farmers saw their life’s work disappear overnight. The storm destroyed over 80% of the island’s coffee trees, leaving farmers with little income and the daunting task of rebuilding. Since then, TechnoServe and its partners have teamed up to help restore the island’s coffee industry and support thousands of farmers.
In Honduras, TechnoServe is helping coffee farmers like Luis Olvera improve their coffee and join local producer organizations. In doing so, they can connect to better markets and sell their coffee in bulk directly to exporters, gaining better prices and better livelihoods.
In Puerto Rico, TechnoServe is helping coffee farmers like Ricardo Ruiz Castro rebuild after a series of devastating natural disasters. Through the program, coffee farmers learn techniques that will help them significantly increase their yields, improve their incomes, and access better farming supplies, financing, and markets.
Since 2019, TechnoServe and Nespresso have been helping smallholder coffee farmers like Byaleo Felicite improve incomes by registering with their washing stations and cooperatives as suppliers of certified organic coffee. This month, Nespresso is launching Kahawa ya Congo, an exciting new coffee in the Reviving Origins range, sourced from farmers in South Kivu.
When Adugna Feye first decided to start growing coffee in 2010, he was simply looking for a way to feed his family. After participating in a TechnoServe coffee program, he increased his income 15-fold, allowing him to not only comfortably feed his family, but invest in his children’s education, his farm, and the future.
In Andhra Pradesh, farmers face many challenges that prevent them from earning reliable incomes from their coffee, including small land size and poor agricultural practices. TechnoServe is helping these farmers improve the quality and productivity of their coffee trees and linking them to markets where they can get the best price for their harvests.
