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.
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.
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.
The MOCCA Program is a five-year initiative, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress Program, aimed at helping more than 100,000 farmers to overcome the barriers limiting their capacity to effectively rehabilitate and renovate their coffee and cacao plants.
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 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.
CAFE is a public-private partnership working to create a more prosperous and inclusive coffee sector. The program is helping 12,000 coffee farming families, many of them in former coca-growing regions, to earn more sustainable livelihoods by improving productivity and quality and building links to profitable markets.
