Globally, there are some 12.5 million coffee farmers, approximately 2/3 of whom have small landholdings. It’s these farmers who provide the majority of the world’s coffee; we owe them our utmost support as they address challenges posed by climate change and many other issues. Farmer Assistance comprises our efforts to set up farmers for social, environmental, and economic success.
We offer training to smallholder coffee farmers through TechnoServe, a non-profit raising farmer incomes and quality of life. Training integrates three topics:
Using agricultural and processing best-practices, farmers can produce more higher-quality coffee, entering stable sourcing relationships and earning better prices.
To lead viable, profitable enterprises, farmers need to operate like small businesses. Training in record keeping and basic accounting helps farmers establish a critical foundation for success.
Environmental and social best practices are integrated into all trainings, and we partner with farmers to address specific improvement opportunities identified through our Coffee Verification Program.
We’ve partnered with TechnoServe for over 20 years to offer training and other support to smallholder farmers in many of the world’s high-quality coffee-growing zones, including in Western Ethiopia as explained in this video.
In 2012 we founded World Coffee Research (WCR) with other forward-thinking companies, the only organization applying advanced agricultural science for coffee on a worldwide, collaborative basis. WCR uses research in coffee genetics and agronomy to develop better, GMO-free coffee varieties, establish better agronomic approaches, and create market opportunities that empower farmers to navigate the impacts associated with plant diseases and pests, poor soil health, and climate change.
