Tag Archives: coffee

Coffee Social Celebrates Fresh Brewed Partnership With Green Mountain

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Heifer International President and CEO Pierre Ferrari (left) and ??? answer questions regarding Heifer's work with Green Mountain Coffee. Photo by Chelsey McNiel, Communications Intern, Heifer Headquarters

Heifer International President and CEO Pierre Ferrari (left) and Americas Vice President Oscar Castaneda (right) answer questions regarding Heifer’s work with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Photo by Chelsey McNiel, Communications Intern, Heifer Headquarters

On Wednesday, April 24, 2013, Heifer International Headquarters enjoyed a Coffee Social and small fair, which celebrated the recent approval of Heifer’s work with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) in Peru and Honduras.

The panel included Heifer’s President and CEO Pierre Ferrari, Americas Vice President Oscar Castañeda, Guatemala Country Director Gustavo Hernandez and Global Partnerships and Alliances team member Kenny Clark. Rick Peyser and Colleen Popkin of GMCR also joined the panel by phone to answer questions.

The joint partnership aims to end “los meses flacos,” or “the thin months,” for 8,000 smallholder farmers in the Central and South America coffeelands. The “thin months” occur after the coffee harvest during the rainy season. Hernandez said during this time many coffee farmers lack proper nutrition for their families and may have to borrow money to survive throughout the year. He added that education is critical to make the correct and positive social changes.

“Something very important is that Green Mountain is leading more coffee farmers to earn more resources and to build food security in their communities,” Hernandez said. “That is the point of the partnership that we have. Our mission is to end hunger, to end poverty, and we are together in this challenge.”

Heifer International employees browse the small fair of products like honey, chocolate and coffee from Guatamala, Honderas, Brazil and others. Photos by Chelsey McNiel, Communications Intern, Heifer Headquarters

Heifer International employees browse the small fair of products like honey, chocolate and coffee from Guatamala, Honderas, Brazil and others. Photos by Chelsey McNiel, Communications Intern, Heifer Headquarters

“The Heifer team in the Americas has taken great strides,” Popkin said, encouraging Heifer staff to keep up the good work.

GMCR representative Rick Peyser agreed, saying, “We appreciate greatly the tremendous work that [Heifer International] is doing on the ground and the impact that [it's] having.”

Heifer International and GMCR hope other organizations will join the efforts to continue working toward food security in the coffeelands.

Guinea Pigs and Gardens Sustain Families in Peru

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Heifer Peru participants are learning to care for guinea pigs and maintain gardens, which will help support their families when the coffee harvest is slim due to coffee rust, disease or plague. Guinea pigs provide protein and additional income. Alfalfa, cabbage, celery, onion, spinach and other vegetables grown sustainably in bio-gardens support nutritious diets for families and their livestock.

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Martina Sanchez Barrios, 26, with one of the family’s guinea pigs. Photo by Jake Lyell Photography

Help families in Peru build a sustainable future

Let’s Talk… Coffee Rust

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As I have mentioned before, coffee has long been a part of my life– as a Guatemalan, as an agronomist, as a coffee drinker and now, as a member of an organization that is working with small-holder coffee farmers in Central and South America.

One of the most persistent problems that has plagued coffee plants and coffee farmers throughout this period of my life (and long before that, too) is la roya de cafe or coffee rust (Hemileia vastatrix). Coffee rust is a rapidly spreading fungus that infects the foliage of a coffee tree. Spores are spread by wind or rain and germinate after a day or two of continuous rain. Coffee originally comes from eastern Africa, and this is also where the coffee rust co-evolved with the plant.

Since the beginning, coffee rust has followed the coffee plant aggressively. Eventually, it found its way to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), which was the world’s hot spot for growing coffee in the 1800s. By 1869, coffee rust had destroyed the coffee industry in Ceylon. Subsequently, coffee prices went up. And this is when Latin America came to prominence in the coffee trade. The next year, several Latin American countries, including Guatemala, invested heavily in coffee, betting that it would become a major export commodity to the extent that some countries provided free land for those who wanted to grow coffee.

Feliciana, 26, holds coffee near her home in the village of Tuiboch in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

Feliciana Martin, 26, holds coffee near her home in the village of Tuiboch in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

They were right; coffee did become a major export commodity. And for a century, Latin America produced coffee without a trace of the coffee rust fungus. But in 1970, the fungus finally landed in the area, via Brazil. The rest of the Latin American countries fought tooth and nail to contain the coffee rust and stop its spread, but the effort was nearly impossible. One little pustule of coffee rust on a leaf can create 150,000 spores. By the time I began my studies as an agronomist in 1977, those spores had spread to Guatemala and the rest of Latin America.

Back then, the world planned on eradicating coffee rust just like smallpox had been eradicated. But a plant fungus is not the same as a human disease, so coffee rust can’t be fought like smallpox. Chemical fungicides were and are often used to fight rust, but this is just a short-term fix; it’s not sustainable. Additionally, fungicides can lead to chemical intoxication in coffee farmers.

A long-term solution is to coexist with the fungus using natural techniques. For instance, coffee farmers can manage the amount of shade their coffee plants receive or use organic fertilizers to enhance the nutrition the plants get from the soil to mitigate the effects of coffee rust. One of the great things about these solutions is that they are knowledge based instead of money based. That is to say, farmers only need knowledge to turn local, available resources into solutions. Small-holder farmers are empowered to solve their problems, and the solutions aren’t dependent on the amount of money available.

These local, long-term, knowledge-based solutions are what Heifer promotes and implements in our projects. Unfortunately, these solutions are needed now even more than usual. Coffee rust has been particularly devastating to Central America this season due to unusually high rainfall that is often attributed to climate change.

In Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, the three countries where Heifer works in Central America, 20-40 percent of all coffee plants are affected by la roya del cafe, and the coffee yields are decreasing by up to 40 percent. This obviously reduces household income, and it forces some farmers and their families to eat less food and less nutritious food while sometimes borrowing money to do so.

Marina Concepcion Hernandez, 37, holds Katherine Michelle Mejia Aguilar, 2, as the two inspect coffee plants in the village of Arenales in Honduras.

Marina Concepcion Hernandez, 37, holds Katherine Michelle Mejia Aguilar, 2, as the two inspect coffee plants in the village of Arenales in Honduras. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

So what can be done in such a dire situation? Heifer is already working to help coffee farmers in Central America become more resilient. With the support of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Heifer International is diversifying the income and nutrition of about 3,000 coffee farming families through animal resources, other crops and training. The idea is that farmers won’t have to rely solely on coffee to support their families, so that when coffee rust becomes a serious problem or when los meses flacos (the thin months) arrive, income can still be generated, and food can still be put on the table. In the near future, Heifer plans to become more involved in improving the technical aspects of coffee production (like soil improvement and shade management techniques) in addition to the diversification processes in place.

Growing coffee is a long-term investment for farmers, and hardships like an increase in coffee rust can threaten that investment and all the work that goes into it. At Heifer, we are investing in small-holder farmers so that they can continue to move into self-reliance and beyond.

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Hablemos sobre… la Roya del Café

Como mencioné antes, el café ha sido parte de mi vida desde hace tiempo – como Guatemalteco, como agrónomo, como bebedor de café y ahora, como miembro de una organización que trabaja con pequeños agricultores de café en América Central y del Sur.

Uno de los problemas más constantes que ha molestado las plantas de café y a los agricultores de café durante este periodo de mi vida (y mucho antes también) es la roya de café (Hemileia vastatrix). La roya del café es un hongo de fácil propagación que infecta el follaje de la planta del café. Las esporas se esparcen mediante el viento o la lluvia y germinan después de uno o dos días de lluvia continua. El café proviene originalmente del este de África, y es donde también la roya del café se ha co-desarrollado con la planta.

Desde el principio la roya del café ha perseguido agresivamente a las plantas de café. Al final, encontró su camino a Ceylon (ahora Sri Lanka), que era la zona caliente del cultivo del café en los años 80. En 1869 la roya del café había destruido la industria del café en Ceylon. Subsecuentemente, los precios del café subieron. Y es en este momento cuando América Latina se volvió prominente en el comercio del café. Al año siguiente, varios países latinoamericanos, incluyendo Guatemala, invirtieron mucho en café, apostando que se convertiría en un gran producto de exportación, hasta el punto que algunos países proporcionaron tierras libres para aquellos que quisiesen cultivar café.

Tenían razón; el café se convirtió en un gran producto de exportación. Y durante un siglo, América Latina produjo café sin rastro de la roya del café. Pero en 1970 el hongo finalmente aterrizó en el área, vía Brasil. El resto de los países de América Latina lucharon con uñas y dientes para contener la roya del café y detener su propagación, pero fue casi imposible. Una pequeña pústula de roya del café en una hoja puede crear 150,000 esporas. Cuando comencé mis estudios como agrónomo en 1977, estas esporas se habían esparcido a Guatemala y al resto de América Latina.

En aquella época, el mundo planeó erradicar la roya del café como se había erradicado la viruela. Pero un hongo en las plantas no es lo mismo que una enfermedad humana, por lo que la roya del café no puede ser combatida como la viruela. Los fungicidas químicos eran y son a menudo empleados para combatir la roya, pero esto es solo una solución a corto plazo; no es sostenible. Además, los fungicidas pueden generar intoxicación química para los agricultores de café.

Una solución a largo plazo es coexistir con el hongo usando técnicas naturales. Por lo tanto, los agricultores de café pueden controlar la cantidad de sombra que sus plantas reciben usando fertilizantes orgánicos para aumentar la nutrición que las plantas reciben de la tierra, para mitigar los efectos de la roya del café. Un aspecto fabuloso de estas soluciones es que están basadas en el conocimiento, en vez de estar basadas en el dinero. Es decir, los agricultores solo necesitan conocimiento para convertir recursos locales y disponibles en soluciones. Se empodera a los pequeños agricultores para resolver sus problemas, y las soluciones no dependen de la cantidad de dinero disponible. Estas soluciones locales a largo plazo y basadas en conocimiento es lo que Heifer promueve e implementa en nuestros proyectos. Desafortunadamente, estas soluciones se necesitan ahora, incluso más de lo normal. La roya del café ha sido particularmente devastadora para América Central, un 20 al 40 por ciento de todas las plantas de café están afectadas por ésta, y las cosechas de café está disminuyendo hasta un 40 por ciento. Esto obviamente reduce el ingreso del hogar y fuerza a algunos agricultores y a sus familias a comer menos y menos alimentos nutritivos, incluso a veces tomando prestado dinero para poder hacerlo.

Entonces, ¿qué puede hacerse en está terrible situación? Heifer ya está trabajando para ayudar a que los agricultores de café en América Central se vuelvan más resistentes. Con el apoyo de Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Heifer International está diversificando el ingreso y nutrición de alrededor de 3,000 familias agricultoras de café, mediante recursos animales, otro tipo de cosechas y capacitaciones. La idea es que los agricultores no tengan que depender exclusivamente del café para mantener a sus familias, para que cuando la roya del café se vuelva un problema serio o cuando los “meses flacos” lleguen, se pueda todavía generar ingresos y los alimentos lleguen a la mesa. En un futuro cercano, Heifer planea involucrarse más en el mejoramiento de los aspectos técnicos de la producción del café (como el mejoramiento de la tierra y técnicas de manejo de sombra) además de los procesos de diversificación ya en curso.

Cultivar café es una inversión a largo plazo para los agricultores, y las dificultades como un incremento de la roya del café puede amenazar esa inversión y todo el trabajo que conlleva. En Heifer estamos invirtiendo en pequeños agricultores para que puedan seguir avanzando hacia la auto-suficiencia y más allá.

Susan Sarandon Writes About the Thin Months

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The Thin Months

Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

Longtime Heifer International supporter Susan Sarandon wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal this past Sunday. Having narrated the 2011 documentary “After the Harvest: Fighting Hunger in the Coffeelands” (watch clip on our YouTube channel), Sarandon remains interested in the wellbeing of coffee farmers and the connection between Heifer and fair-trade coffee vendor, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Read the full text of Sarandon’s article here.

Watch a slideshow of photos from our project in Chiapas, Mexico, in partnership with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

Read previous posts on the Thin Months.

Do you have a favorite fair-trade certified coffee? Share it with us in the comments section below.

From the Field: Embracing New Opportunities for a Successful Future

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This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.org’s “From the Field” section.

When we are open to new opportunities, our future is often positively affected. Heifer International project families experience this all the time. Embracing the new and trying something different, regardless of what one’s history or neighbors say, has made a profound difference in the lives of many.

Heifer Armenia and Ashtarak Kat CJSC, the country’s leading milk producer, are working together to help families improve the breed of their animals and build successful dairy businesses through the Milk for Communities project. Valuable training and equipment for artificial insemination (AI) will enable families to make the most of their milk cooling unit. Soon these families will pass on the gift to new families, and an even greater impact will be made on hunger and poverty in Armenia.

Sulekha Devi, a CAHW in Bihar, India, with her goat

Coffee is the main economic activity for the residents of Cajamarca, Peru, but the crop is always vulnerable to an unpredictable climate and market fluctuations. When farmers here added guinea pigs and other inputs to their farming mix through Heifer’s Healthy Life and Sustainable Production for Coffee Producer Families in Lambayeque and Cajamarca project, they discovered that it pays to diversify. Now, with multiple crops, these families enjoy greater food and income security.

Sulekha Devi is a member of the Musahar community in Bihar, India. The Musahar are a Hindu scheduled caste, making them one of the country’s most vulnerable groups of people. They have no land of their own and must work as sharecroppers or agricultural laborers to support their families. Since Heifer India started the Mithila Women Empowerment and Sustainable Livestock Program, women like Sulekha are being trained as Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs). Sulekha has become an expert in diagnosing and treating animal conditions and has become a tremendous asset in her community.

                                     Find out how you can give a new opportunity to a family today.

Sustainable Sourcing and Fair Trade for All

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Earlier today, I was at the William J. Clinton Foundation in New York attending a conversation on Sustainable Sourcing and Fair Trade for All. The event brings together a small group of prominent leaders who, together, are transforming supply chains around the world. Heifer International CEO Pierre Ferrari was invited to the event on behalf of Skoll Foundation, Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative, Avina Foundation and Fair Trade USA. Unfortunately, Pierre was unable to attend, but I was pleased to accept on behalf of Heifer.

Bill Clinton and Paul Rice

President Bill Clinton (right) and Fair Trade USA President and CEO Paul Rice (left) at the William J. Clinton Foundation in New York on Dec. 11, 2012.

The Fair Trade concept can be traced to cooperation in the 60s, 70s and 80s that was formed out of a shared sense of justice and solidarity for coffee producers in Latin America. The result of this solidarity led (and still leads) to tangible improvements in the income, health and education of coffee growers. From there, simple technologies and support from various organizations transformed producers into processors and later into exporters. Income grew for coffee farmers, and so did the organizations supporting them. As momentum for Fair Trade increased, additional crops or goods were included, such as bananas, cacao, handicrafts and others.

Years later, what began as an expression of solidarity is now generating significant revenue and demanding more and more professional support for the organizations involved. That means the Fair Trade conversation has changed, although it retains its spirit.

At the William J. Clinton Foundation today, we talked about “sustainable sourcing,” which takes environmental and social responsibility into account when procuring resources like coffee, and the barriers that keep sustainability from full integration into supply chains. Additionally, we discussed Fair Trade USA’s Fair Trade for All vision, which sets out to double “the impact of Fair Trade for farmers” in the next decade and “improv(e) lives throughout the global coffee supply chain.” Fair Trade USA’s vision is centered on: 1) strengthening farming communities by investing in cooperatives and partnering with others to provide support services, with a focus on quality and business capacity, 2) including more farmers, farm workers and communities in the benefits of Fair Trade, and 3) engaging consumers to increase market demand for Fair Trade Certified products and grow sales and impact.

According to Paul Rice, president and CEO of Fair Trade USA, these elements provide a “new model for capitalism that aligns the interest of farmers, consumers and the Earth where everybody wins. The journey begins with the farmer/producer and brings the heart back into business and awakens the mind of consumers.”

As you might expect, today’s conversation was engaging and motivating. Tune in later this week to read my perspective on the event and how Heifer International fits into the picture.

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Abastecimiento sostenible y Comercio Justo para todos

Hoy más temprano, estaba en la Fundación de William J. Clinton en Nueva York, asistiendo a una charla sobre Abastecimiento Sostenible y Comercio Justo para Todos. El evento juntó a un pequeño grupo de líderes prominentes que juntos, están transformando las cadenas de suministros alrededor del mundo. El Presidente Ejecutivo de Heifer International, Pierre Ferrari, fue invitado al evento de parte de la Skoll Foundation, Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative, Avina Foundation y Fair Trade USA. Desafortunadamente, Pierre no pudo asistir, pero yo estaba encantado de aceptar de parte de Heifer.

El concepto de Comercio Justo se remonta a la cooperación en los años 60, 70 y 80, el cual se formó desde el sentido compartido de justicia y solidaridad por los productores de café de América Latina. El resultado de esta solidaridad condujo (y todavía conduce) a mejoras tangibles en el ingreso, salud y educación de los cultivadores de café. Desde ahí, tecnologías simples y apoyo de varias organizaciones transformaron a los productores en procesadores y después en exportadores. El ingreso creció para los agricultores de café, como también las organizaciones que los apoyaban. Mientras que el ímpetu del Comercio Justo aumentaba, se incluyeron cosechas y bienes adicionales, como las bananas, el cacao, artesanías y otros.

Años después, lo que comenzó como una expresión de solidaridad, ahora genera beneficios significantes y exige más y más apoyo profesional de las organizaciones involucradas. Esto significa que el discurso del Comercio Justo ha cambiado, aunque mantiene su espíritu.

En la Fundación de William J. Clinton hoy en día hablamos de “abastecimiento sostenible”, que toma en cuenta la responsabilidad medioambiental y social  en la búsqueda de recursos como el café, y las barreras que evitan que la sostenibilidad se integre por completo en las cadenas de suministros. Además, discutimos la visión del Comercio Justo para Todos de Fair Trade USA, que propone doblar “el impacto del Comercio Justo para los agricultores” en la siguiente década y “mejorar vidas a través de la cadena global de suministro del café.” La visión de Fair Trade USA se centra en: 1) fortalecer las comunidades agricultoras invirtiendo en cooperativas y asociaciones con otros, para proveer servicios de apoyo, con un enfoque en la calidad y en la capacidad de negocios; 2) incluir más agricultores, trabajadores agrícolas y comunidades en los beneficios del Comercio Justo y 3) comprometer a los consumidores a aumentar la demanda en el mercado de Productos de Comercio Justo Certificados y aumentar las ventas e impacto.

De acuerdo a Paul Rice, Presidente Ejecutivo de Fair Trade USA, estos elementos proporcionan un “nuevo modelo para el capitalismo que reune los intereses de los agricultores, los consumidores y la Tierra, donde todo el mundo gana. El trayecto comienza en el agricultor/productor y trae el corazón de vuelta al negocio y despierta la mente de los consumidores.”

Como seguramente espera, la conversación de hoy fue comprometedora y motivadora. Sintonízate esta semana para leer mi perspectiva sobre el evento y cómo Heifer International encaja en la imagen.

From the Field: Heifer’s Work with Cooperatives Around the World

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This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.org’s “From the Field”Cooperatives: From the Field section.

Today is World Food Day and this year’s theme, as announced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is “Agricultural Cooperatives – Key to Feeding the World.” Heifer empowers families around the world to achieve food security, and bringing them together as agricultual cooperatives is an effective method to end hunger and poverty. Learn more about Heifer’s cooperatives in the video and stories below.

In Cameroon, members of two self-help groups formed a dairy cooperative seven years ago. In addition to giving them food security, member families have tripled their income.

Hongyu’s Pastured Chicken Cooperative in China recently opened its own store. Now members sell the chickens they raise directly to consumers, with no need for a middleman.

Corina de Jesús Ramirez lives in Nicaragua. Joining a coffee cooperative has given her access to credit, better prices and technical assistance to improve both quantity and quality of production on her farm. Claudio Hernández Vásquez also belongs to a coffee co-op in Nicaragua. His success with growing coffee has allowed him to expand farming activities to include poultry, pigs, vegetables and basic grains.

Marfusha Cooperative was founded in Ukraine in 2009. This milk co-op, which started out small, now provides collection and cooling services and sells high-quality milk to the local Danone plant.

Cooperatives and Their Contribution to Development in Peru

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In Peru, 85 percent of farmers and ranchers produce at the family level, with net incomes that are insufficient to raise them above the poverty line. Three million Peruvians depend on coffee, the largest agricultural export in the world, which generates wages for direct labor and services in the production chain. Four hundred and five thousand hectares of coffee is cultivated by 165,000 families (the plantations are spread across 340 rural districts that are situated in poverty or extreme poverty), of which only 28 percent are organized into cooperatives, associations, committees or community enterprises according to the National Coffee Board [1].

The organizations that are the most entrepreneurially dynamic and have developed programs to address the economic crisis are the centrally integrated coffee cooperatives, some of which have operated for three decades in the production and export of high quality coffee. More and more, coffee-growing families are joining coffee cooperatives and associations, not just because of commercial interests (greater profits, increased access to competitive markets) but because of learning opportunities (not just based on production) and social inclusion, especially for those in previously excluded groups, like women and youth.

The history of cooperatives in our country, especially during good years for coffee prices, has motivated producers to revive and strengthen cooperatives. This motivation is supported by the high quality of coffee in Peru, especially that of organically produced coffee, which in recent years has achieved record production and export value.

Since 2010, Heifer Peru has worked with coffee cooperatives to promote the diversification of their production and to strengthen their organizations; in one project executed in northern Peru (Cajamarca and Lambayeque), 1,057 coffee-growing families participated. Taking into account their needs and abilities, training and assistance was provided to improve their food security, diversify their production system, strengthen the capacities of women and men, improve living conditions and expand opportunities for development.

Coffee cooperatives have improved their management and in many cases have achieved direct commercialization, which generates more income for families and gives them a sense of well-being that allows them to focus on other dimensions of their development; for example, revenue can be channeled to education for children.

Cooperatives as a form of association contribute to social inclusion and poverty reduction, in particular for developing countries (UN, Rio+20, June 2012), and allow the exchange of information between partners and peer organizations, the development of commercial initiatives, capacity building, the promotion of food security while creating opportunities for family farmers and energizing local development. Cooperatives are an opportunity for development, not only for families but the community in general. It is important to demand policies that recognize the importance of cooperatives and support their efforts in terms of access to credit, land ownership, organizational strengthening and actual inclusion in the country’s development.

Read more about how Heifer International uses cooperatives in our work around the world.

[1] Founded in 1993, the National Organization of Coffee Growers brings together 236 coffee-growing organizations that represent 40,000 small farmer families organized into cooperatives, associations, committees of producers, community businesses, etc.

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Las cooperativas y su aporte al desarrollo

En el Perú, el 85% de los agricultores y ganaderos son productores familiares, con ingresos netos insuficientes para salir del umbral de la pobreza. Tres millones de peruanos dependen del café- principal producto agrícola de exportación que genera jornales por trabajo directo y por servicios en la cadena productiva. 405 mil hectáreas de esta producción son cultivadas por 165 mil familias (las plantaciones se extienden a lo largo de 340 distritos rurales que se encuentran en situación de pobreza y pobreza y extrema), de éstas apenas el 28% están organizadas en cooperativas, asociaciones, comités y empresas comunales como señala la Junta Nacional del Café (1).

Las organizaciones con mayor dinámica empresarial, y que han desarrollado programas para enfrentar la crisis económica, corresponden a las cooperativas cafetaleras integradas a centrales, algunas de ellas operan hace tres décadas, involucradas en la producción y exportación de café de alta calidad. Cada vez son más las familias cafetaleras que se vinculan a estas asociaciones o cooperativas cafetaleras y no solo con un afán comercial (pues pueden conseguir mayor rentabilidad y el acceso a mercados competitivos) sino por las oportunidades que generan en torno a la mejora de los conocimientos (no solo productivos) y la inclusión social, pues reparan en grupos que anteriormente han sido excluidos, las mujeres y los jóvenes.

La historia cooperativista en nuestro país, sobre todo aquella referida a los beneficios obtenidos en las épocas de buenos precios del café, ha motivado a los y las productoras a la reactivación de sus cooperativas y en muchos casos a su fortalecimiento buscando una gestión efectiva. Esta motivación es respaldada por la oferta importante de café de calidad en el Peru, sobre todo la derivada de producción ecológica, que ha logrado en los últimos años récord de producción y valor de exportaciones.

Desde el 2010, Heifer Perú trabaja con cooperativas cafetaleras promoviendo la diversificación de su producción y el fortalecimiento de sus organizaciones; en el proyecto, que se ejecuta en el norte del Peru, específicamente en Cajamarca y Lambayeque, participan 1057 familias cafetaleras. Tomando en cuenta sus necesidades y potencialidades se brinda capacitación y asistencia para mejorar su seguridad alimentaria, diversificar su sistema de producción, fortalecer las capacidades de varones y sobre todo mujeres, mejorar sus condiciones de habitabilidad y ampliar sus oportunidades de desarrollo.

Las cooperativas cafetaleras han mejorado su gestión y en muchos casos han logrado una comercialización directa, generando mayores ingresos para las familias productoras que les significa un sentido de bienestar que les permite pensar en otras dimensiones de su desarrollo; los ingresos por ejemplo, han sido destinados a la educación de sus hijos que a su vez se constituye en un paso adelante para que la cooperativa se asegure o renueve cuadros administrativos y dirigenciales.

Las cooperativas como forma de asociatividad contribuyen a la inclusión social y reducción de la pobreza en particular en los países en desarrollo (NNUU, Rio+20, junio 2012), permiten el intercambio de información entre los asociados y entre organizaciones pares, el desarrollo de iniciativas comerciales y el fortalecimiento de las capacidades, fomentan la seguridad alimentaria, crean oportunidades para los productores familiares y dinamizan el desarrollo local. Son una oportunidad de desarrollo no solo para las familias que la conforman sino para la comunidad en general, por lo que se demandan políticas que reconozcan su importancia pero sobretodo que apoyen sus esfuerzos en términos de acceso al crédito, la propiedad de sus tierras, el fortalecimiento de sus organizaciones y su inclusión real en el desarrollo del país.

[1] Desde 1993 es la Organización Nacional de Cafetaleros que agrupa a 236 organizaciones empresariales cafetaleras que representan a 40,000 familias de pequeños productores organizados en cooperativas, asociaciones, comités de productores, empresas comunales, etc.

Let’s Talk… Coffee: Drink (the Right Kind of) Coffee

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I grew up in Guatemala, a coffee-growing country, but I learned to drink coffee while writing my dissertation in Germany, far away from home. This is the paradox of living in the coffeelands sometimes. Quality coffee is enjoyed far away from its origins.

But this also means that coffee has long been a part of my life. How could it not be? When the coffee trade sneezes, Guatemala gets pneumonia. From the shade of coffee plants, I’ve watched as many things have changed in the industry and its history: distribution of land, labor conditions, fluctuations in the economy, etc.

A Heifer project participant poses with her coffee plants in western Guatemala.

Coffee is the second largest market in the world, after oil, so it is a big deal globally, as well. Demand for coffee is so great that its price is getting higher every year. Unfortunately, the amount of money that makes its way to coffee producers is declining every year.

The prices that reach coffee producers are so low that it allows them to survive, and that’s about it. Inputs for growing coffee are expensive, and small-holder coffee farmers aren’t getting a price representative of these inputs or the labor, value of the land, etc.

Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking at Specialty Coffee Association of America’s annual event, and after the presentation, a man asked if we should stop drinking coffee because coffee farming families are going hungry. I immediately grabbed the microphone and said, “NO… but demand the right kind of coffee.”

So what is the right kind of coffee?

Fair Trade is certainly part of the answer. The main idea with Fair Trade is, of course, ensuring that coffee farmers can earn a living wage. But it’s more than that. Fair Trade coffee is brought to your cup through a process that is socially just and ecologically sound. And through Fair Trade, farmers are empowered through strong, democratic organizations.

Fair Trade really is a great thing, but it’s not enough. Long-term, sustainable development is necessary to achieve food security, and that’s the part of the equation Heifer is trying to improve. Through our projects in the Americas, we are diversifying the production of coffee farmers so that they are not only earning income from coffee but also earning income from other sources and growing their own food.

Coffee is a path to community development, when the right process is followed and the right system is in place.  When it is cultivated organically, it improves soil fertility, increases biodiversity, promotes reforestation, creates a healthy environment for workers and produces a cup of coffee well worth drinking. When it is processed in an ecologically sound way, water streams are protected. And when coffee producers are brought together in an organized way, it empowers them and helps their work become economically viable. When you add food security to the mix, that’s the whole package. In coffeelands around the world, this is the perfect equation to ending hunger and poverty.

Happy World Fair Trade Day!

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Hablemos sobre… Café: Beber (el tipo correcto de) Café

Crecí en Guatemala, un país cultivador de café, pero aprendí a beber café mientras escribía mi disertación en Alemania, lejos de casa. Esto es a veces la paradoja de vivir en las tierras del café. La calidad del café se disfruta lejos de sus orígenes. Pero esto también significa que el café ha formado parte de mi vida mucho tiempo. ¿Cómo no podría serlo? Cuando el comercio del café estornuda, a Guatemala le da neumonía. Desde la sombra de las plantas de café, he visto como muchas cosas han cambiado en la industria y su historia: la distribución de la tierra, las condiciones laborales, fluctuaciones en la economía, etc.

El café representa el segundo mercado más grande en el mundo, después del petróleo, por lo que también es importante a nivel global. La demanda de café es tan grande que su precio se está incrementando cada año. Desafortunadamente, el monto de dinero que llega a los productores de café está disminuyendo cada año.

Los precios que llegan a los productores de café son tan bajos que les permiten sobrevivir, y solo eso. Los insumos para cultivar café son caros y los pequeños agrícolas de café no reciben un precio de acuerdo a estos insumos o su trabajo, valor de la tierra, etc. El mes pasado, tuve el placer de hablar en el evento anual de la Asociación de Cafés Especiales de América, y después de la presentación, un hombre preguntó si deberíamos parar de beber café porque las familias agricultoras de café están pasando hambre. Inmediatamente agarré el micrófono y dije, “NO… pero exija el tipo correcto de café.”

Entonces, ¿cuál es el tipo correcto de café?

El Comercio Justo es definitivamente parte de la respuesta. La idea principal del Comercio Junto es por supuesto, asegurar que los agricultores de café se ganen un sueldo base. Pero es más que eso. El café de Comercio Justo llega hasta su taza a través de un proceso que es socialmente justo y ecológicamente sensato. Y a través del Comercio Justo, se empodera a los agricultores mediante organizaciones fuertes y democráticas.

El Comercio Justo es realmente una buena cosa, pero no es suficiente. Es necesario el desarrollo sostenible a largo plazo para lograr seguridad alimentaria, y esa es la parte de la ecuación que Heifer está tratando mejorar. A través de nuestros proyectos en las Américas, estamos diversificando la producción de los agricultores de café, para que no sólo estén ganando un ingreso del café sino logrando ingresos de otros recursos y cultivando sus propios alimentos.

El café es el camino hacia el desarrollo comunitario, cuando el proceso correcto se sigue y el sistema correcto está en su lugar. Cuando se cultiva orgánicamente, mejora la fertilidad de la tierra, aumenta la biodiversidad, promueve la reforestación, crea un ambiente sano para los trabajadores y produce una taza de café que merece la pena beberse. Cuando se procesa de manera ecológica, los arroyos de agua se protegen. Y cuando los productores de café se reúnen de manera organizada, les empodera y les ayuda a que su trabajo se convierta económicamente viable. Cuando añades seguridad alimentaria a la mezcla, ese es el paquete completo. En las tierras del café alrededor del mundo esta es la ecuación perfecta para erradicar el hambre y la pobreza.

¡Feliz Día del Comercio Justo!

Purchasing Fair Trade to Support Families

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May 12th is World Fair Trade Day, and like many celebrated days, I think this is something we should consider every day. Last month we shared with you how to purchase coffee with a conscience, and I wrote about coffee. I mentioned that in my previous life I assumed purchasing fair trade was “enough” to help the farmers move from poverty to a sustainable life.

Fair trade is a wonderful practice – we purchase good, quality products, and the farmers receive a fair price for their product. But another aspect we want to make sure we consider is that we are improving the lives of the farmers. We want the farmers to produce, first for themselves and then to sell the surplus, and through this build their sustainable lives.

Fair trade supports helping farmers, and at Heifer we believe this is an important component of helping more people. But we also need to have an understanding of the big picture and support the full cycle of farmers improving their lives.  We want this practice to be beneficial both ways, for us and the farmers!

Photograph by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International

This is why it is important for Heifer to support organizations such as Fair Trade USA. It’s not just about purchasing fair trade products, but it is also about ensuring that we incorporate different elements while working with the farmers. Protecting the planet, supporting farmers as they build their business, educating and empowering all families members (especially the women!) and fighting poverty are all part of the solution.

As I have mentioned before, I am on the board of Ben and Jerry’s, and one of the plans we are implementing is incorporating fair trade products into our ice cream. I’m pleased to report that by 2013, the products Ben and Jerry’s uses for their ice cream will be 100% fair trade. I’m also excited to mention that in my travels last year to Ecuador we met with a fair trade banana cooperative that is working with Heifer and (coincidentally) provides Ben and Jerry’s with fair trade bananas. What a small world!

Photograph by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International

So yes, it is important to purchase fair trade products – but it’s also important to support organizations like Heifer that are working with farmers to ensure they have the essential tools needed to rise above the struggles of poverty.

So if you’ll excuse me, I’m off now to drink my Yerba Mate (organic, shade grown, reforestation oriented, fairly traded of course!) and contemplate on what more we can do to end hunger and poverty.