#Coffee4Future

What is a living income? How is it calculated? Why has it become important for governments, aid agencies and companies in the last few decades? Stephanie, member of the International Board of Directors at Rikolto, shares with us the current status of work on living income, and the solutions, investment, and synergies she has gathered from stakeholders in Peru and in the world. 

During three days, more than 40 producers, academics and government representatives from Peru and Ecuador gathered in Cajamarca (Perú), for an exchange of experiences and lessons on mitigating the carbon footprint of coffee production. It was the kick-off event of the project “More coffee and less CO2” project in Ecuador that aims to encouragee strategies and policies for high yields of carbon neutral coffee.

Giving a further boost to Eastern Congo’s coffee sector thanks to additional micro washing stations: that is in the works in Rikolto’s new programme in the country. This way, we keep supporting cooperatives and farmers on their path towards economic independence.

Of the 12 million hectares of trees lost in 2020 in the tropics, 4.2 million hectares were primary forests. Forest loss increased by 12% compared to 2019, marking another regrettable step towards increased climate instability and biodiversity decline.

In a context of economic instability and climate change, improving agricultural competitiveness is the responsibility of more than 2,439,162 rural young people in Peru. In the last 4 years, Rikolto, in collaboration with partners, has generated a cycle of annual forums with 182 young producer leaders participating. Read the reflections of our colleague Lith Montes, coordinator of projects with young people in the coffee sector.

In Rancho Grande, Nicaragua, we look at the cup of coffee with a positive environmental, economic, and social impact for the families of coffee producers thanks to the win-win relationship promoted by Rikolto and the company Exportadora Atlantic S. A. (Expasa).

Karina Lopez grew up as the daughter of coffee farmers in Ibarra, Ecuador. Like many young people in her region, she didn't see much future in agriculture or the product her family grows. Meet her story and how she´s making the world a better place with coffee.

Lith Montés has been with Rikolto for 4 years as national coordinator of coffee projects in Peru. She often reminds us "I work so that young people have opportunities that I fortunately had".

Twenty thousand producers in the region will benefit from the Multistakeholder Coffee Platform in Cajamarca, an initiative that currently brings together public and private actors in the value chain in the region. Since 2020, Rikolto together with the Coffee Technical Commission in Cajamarca and the Northern Technical Network promote this space that contributes to the National Coffee Action Plan and strengthens the national leadership of the region. Our colleague Lith Montés tells us more about this trip.

For businesses all around the world, the push to be carbon-neutral continues to be a huge priority. The coffee sector is no exception. Climate change threatens the amount of land suitable for coffee farming around the world, making production more difficult and more expensive.

Bad infrastructure and roads, a continuous threat of armed conflict, and high and arbitrary taxes make it difficult to get the coffee across the border and obtain a fair price for it. Wannes Slosse, a Belgian PhD-student at the University of Ghent, is examining Rikolto-supported coffee cooperatives in the highlands of the Eastern provinces of the DR of Congo.

What does it take to lead a coffee cooperative? Managers, directors and leaders of coffee farmer organisations have been working to answer this for the last four years in a “School for Leaders”.

Honduras made history by approving the first gender policy for the coffee sector in a producer country. How did this policy born, how was it developed, and what benefits does it promote for women in coffee? In this article we show how.

In the Intag Valley, in the north of Ecuador, growing organic coffee is an act of resistance to mining. Entrepreneurs such as Alba are uniting around this product. Alba is a coffee grower that brings additional value to the chain with her crafts. What does this undertaking mean for her and for the development promoted by the Agricultural Artisan Association of Coffee Growers by the Intag River? We tell you about it here.

Logistical issues and widespread café closures – as a result of Covid-19 – have taken their toll on Latin America's coffee sector. How can partners and stakeholders work together to overcome obstacles? This question was at the heart of a series of Virtual Coffee Dialogues.

Coffee cooperatives in D.R. Congo have been making efforts to access certified coffee markets by complying with the standards of multiple certification organisations. What is the impact of certification on the incomes and lives of the coffee farmers and their households? PhD-student Wannes Slosse shares his findings so far.

Mid-September, a container with 15.9 ton of Indonesian specialty coffee arrived in the port of Antwerp. Thanks to an ingenious business model, this coffee also contributes to the restoration of the Indonesian rain forest on the island of Sumatra.

Science gives us a better understanding of where, when, and to what degree climate change will have an impact. But the day to day reality, knowledge, and socio-economic position of the farmers might provide us with information about what the possibilities and obstacles are for the widespread adaptation of resilient practices.

Rikolto’s cooperative partners in Jambi, Barokah and TAKTIK, received an achievement award from the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture for their commitment in developing downstream business activities. This award marks an important milestone for the cooperatives on their journey to build sustainable value chains.

Koerintji Barokah Bersama Cooperative, Rikolto’s coffee partner in Jambi, Indonesia, is set to export 15.6 tons of Arabica coffee beans to Belgium. The export could take place due to the collaboration between government institutions, private sectors, NGOs, financial institution, cooperative, and coffee farmers.

Rikolto, the National Coffee Board (CONACAFE) and the organization Solidaridad Network signed an agreement to update the national coffee policy in Honduras with a gender focus.

Rikolto collaborates with local NGO Lembaga Tiga Beradik to train coffee farmers in Merangin District of Jambi to sustainably produce fine robusta coffee.

Through Rikolto’s Payment for Ecosystem Services programme, we transform coffee farmers to solid business partners and guardians of the forests.

For the past five years, our colleague Paola Mercado has coordinated a programme for sustainable and inclusive development of the coffee sector in Peru. Today, Paola is leaving Rikolto. But not before she takes time to share the lessons she has learned and make some recommendations. A farewell interview over a cup of coffee!

In November 2017, Rikolto in DR Congo used the Inclusive Business Scan to collect stories from members of the Kawa Kanzururu Arabica coffee cooperative in North Kivu. The aim was to understand what the members think about having access to the coffee micro-washing station and about the relationship between members, micro-washing station and the cooperative.

On 30 November 2017, NICAFES, the Nicaraguan platform for sustainable coffee, was launched. The initiative brings together more than 25 unions, exporters, service providers, educational institutions and Non-Governmental Organizations supporting Nicaragua's coffee sector.

Last week, our colleague Tom Van den Steen, Programme Advisor Planning, Learning & Accountability, visited coffee cooperative Kawa Kanzururu, engaging with over 600 coffee farmers on their experiences selling coffee to international buyers. Read his insights on implementing the Inclusive Business Scan in Eastern DR Congo here.

Mid-October a container of green coffee from North Kivu (DRC) arrived at Colruyt Group’s roasting centre in Ghislenghien. Colruyt Group and Rikolto have joined forces to support Kawa Kabuya, a cooperative of 2,200 small coffee growers. How? By guaranteeing a significant purchase volume for 3 years, 60% of which is paid for by pre-financing the harvest.

Large buyers show renewed interest for Congolese Arabica. Yet the plantations are old and the production needs to be increased. After working with farmer organisations for the production of new seedlings, VECO changed its paradigm and now co-invests in the businesses of private nursery growers.

For the third year in a row, Kawa Kabuya Cooperative has won the annual Taste of Harvest Competition.

In Ecuador, one of VECO´s core businesses is the development of the coffee value chain through improving the quality of high specialty coffee, defined as any coffee that scores above 80 points on a 100 point scale, so that farmers would receive a higher price in national and international markets. In support of this coffee programme, VECO collaborates with the municipality's Economic Development Agency of Quito to support coffee associations in the north-east of Quito. This collaboration has resulted in a study on the quality of high specialty coffee in the same area.

Marselina Walu, also known as Mama Lina, pushes back against the stereotypical images of farming that, in Indonesia, are usually dominated by men. Mama Lina is not only a woman who farms, but also a leader, now chairing a coffee cooperative in Bajawa, Ngada District, Flores, in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

Coffee and cocoa are two of five largest export commodities in Indonesia after rubber, palm oil and coconut, putting them in the same top export product group prioritized by the Indonesian government for national development. The strategic role brings major impact for the national economy, involving 1.96 million families of smallholder coffee farmers and 2.18 million families of smallholder cocoa farmers.

My colleague Caroline and I set flight to Entebbe, the nearest airport to Eastern-Congo territory, for a two weeks fieldtrip through the amazingly green mountainsides of the Eastern-Congo region between Butembo and the Virunga National Park. The purpose of our trip: uncovering the relationships between the different actors of the coffee chain supported by VECO DR Congo through the Sensemaker methodology.

The 12th high feast of African coffees ended on february 14. Every year the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) organizes a conference and exposition in the capital of one of its 11 member countries. Until recently it was an association of East African coffees, but because 90% of the African coffee comes from the East, they have opted for a continental profile. Thanks to the investments of CFC/ICO, Cordaid and DGD, the cooperatives supported by VECO managed to cause a stir on the exposition.

On the island of Flores in Indonesia, farmers have been producing coffee for export for generations. But as they live in Natural Reserve, they have become increasingly uncertain about where they are allowed to work.

The Congolese producers in the border areas of the East of Congo are at the mercy of illicit buyers and quality is not remunerated. So it is no surprise at all that the official Congolese coffee export plummeted from the historical record export of over 130,000 metric tons in the mid-eighties down to only a little over 6% of this today. The revival of the Congolese coffee sector starts with the reconstruction of the farmers’ capacity to produce top quality coffee and their ability to connect to the world market.

These days, little positive news reaches us from Eastern Congo through the media. Maybe we can have a try then? Is it even appropriate to tell the story of the people in Kivu for whom life simply continues? Is it appropriate to talk about the farmer organizations and traders that try to shape their future? Or is all of that merely silly optimism?