WHAT

tools for Further development of smallholder production systems

coffee&climate works towards establishing coffee production systems of the future. These systems shall be not only more resilient to the impacts of climate change but also improve the overall livelihood situation of smallholder coffee farming families through increased food security and diversification.

The coffee&climate approach provides smallholder families with knowledge and training on improved farming practices and technologies. They learn, how to assess different impacts on their coffee farms by using new technologies like smartphone applications. This guides the decision-making process on best climate smart practices to be taken.

If you want to know more about how c&c addresses smallholder production systems, get in touch with us!

Carbon offsetting systems in coffee regions

Most coffee producing regions around the world are under immense pressure due to changing climate conditions, rising costs, and low coffee prices. Despite agroforestry’s advantages, currently smallholder coffee farming families do not receive an incentive for maintaining these systems although they contribute significantly to the storage and long-term systemic sequestration of CO2. In addition, these systems offer ecological diversity, further income sources, closed nutrient cycles, with less input use, and protecting natural resources.

Providing smallholder families with financial rewards for investing and maintaining in agroforestry production systems is a first step towards resilient livelihoods.

What coffee&climate is doing for carbon offsetting in coffee production

coffee&climate develops, tests and evaluates a framework for carbon accounting to generate CO2 credits recognizing the environmental services of diversified coffee production systems and landscapes and servicing as potential financial incentives for farming families. It will also meet the demand of the industry for establishing carbon neutral supply chains.

If you want to know more about how c&c addresses carbon offsetting systems, get in touch with us!

Climate Smart Coffee Regions

The initiative for coffee&climate aims to establish Climate Smart Coffee Regions. Through a number of activities, the overall climate resilience of landscapes, production systems and rural livelihoods will be achieved. Such regions promote the sustainable use of natural resources by providing training on climate smart practices and implementing programs to protect forests and watershed areas within a specific coffee region.

Deforestation and land degradation will be addressed. Urgently needed sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere and its long-term storage in vegetative cover and soils via optimized agroforestry systems, improved soil management, closed nutrient cycles and restoration of degraded areas will be promoted.

The concept allows for a transparent progress assessment, building on concrete indicators as part of a mutually agreed landscape action plan. coffee&climate integrates action of different stakeholders operating in the same landscape by providing a setting of cooperation – in partnership with smallholder families, farmer organizations, youth, authorities and the private sector towards the shared vision.

If you want to know more about how c&c establishes Climate Smart Coffee Regions, get in touch with us!

Safe use and handling of agrochemicals

The effects of climate change on the coffee tree triggers an increase of pest and disease pressure in many coffee regions. Although climate smart practices are the best choice for an integrated pest and disease management, many smallholder families lack the knowledge on biological or “traditional” control mechanisms. That’s why, despite the hazards, they often depend on the use of agrochemicals to maintain a stable coffee production.

Intensified use of agrochemicals has become a major health and environmental risk in the coffee communities and leads to an increase of carbon emissions from coffee production into the environment.

coffee&climate supports the access to climate smart practices and integrated pest and disease management. Smallholder families to a large extent lack the know-how and the expertise as well as access to information on the correct application, storage and disposal of agrochemicals. c&c raises awareness of the hazards related to agrochemicals and promotes their safe use and handling, including finding ways to eliminate the use of banned pesticides and implement measures against non-authorized products and mixes.

If you want to know more about how c&c supports the safe use of agrochemicals, get in touch with us!

Empowering youth to become climate leaders

The reality in coffee growing communities is a constantly growing gap between aging farmers and the following generation of adolescents, who do not perceive agriculture as a viable livelihood option and who feel that their communities are not offering them any perspectives.  

Part of the problem is that the potential coffee farmers of tomorrow have too little incentive to continue their parents business. And their parents need to discover the potentials of the younger generations. 

The impacts of climate change are further exacerbating this situation. Young people in coffee regions are part of the answer for effective climate action. Youth are the driving force behind innovations, the use of digital solutions or the creation and implementation of a new and future oriented version of their coffee region.  

coffee&climate empowers youth to become climate leaders in their communities, through: 

  • Training Life and Leadership Skills 
  • Training on climate adaptation and mitigation, based on c&c approach 
  • Promotion of climate entrepreneurship. 
  • Establishment of youth committees in their farmer organizations 

If you want to know more about how c&c empowers youth to become climate leaders, get in touch with us!

Gender Equality and climate action

Adaptation to climate change can only succeed if the entire smallholder family works together on equal footing. Women are disproportionally affected by the effects of climate change. coffee&climate promotes gender equality in the households and supports smallholders to develop their farms as a family business. In all c&c training activities both women and men are actively involved and their specific needs are addressed. Particularly issues of time allocation, access to and control over resources are key factors in allowing women and men to benefit equally from the proposed interventions.

The introduction of climate-smart and time saving techniques like rainwater harvest, solar energy and energy efficient cooking stoves address the time poverty of women. They get time to participate in trainings and the household decision making. Joint decision making and planning at household level shows smallholder families that farming can become economically more viable if it is considered a family business. Beyond the family, c&c advocates that women have a leadership role in their local farmer organizations and communities. c&c phase III benefits from learnings from a special gender component in phase II of coffee&climate.

If you want to know more about how c&c addresses gender equality and climate action, get in touch with us!

Fostering knowledge and exchange of learnings

Adapting coffee production systems and landscapes to climate change requires innovation, creativity, engagement of different experts, and, above all, partnership and willingness to work together towards climate resilience. Therefore, we promote the exchange of knowledge, learnings, best practices and challenges with the sector through:

COFFEE&CLIMATE TOOLBOX

The c&c toolbox is an open online platform to exchange knowledge on known and innovative climate-smart agriculture practices. The tools are identified and tested alongside with farmers, extensionists and some of the worlds leading climate experts. Visitors are invited to use the toolbox as an interactive platform and to also share their own experiences on effective tools.

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

A Community of Practice is a local group of coffee stakeholders meeting regularly to exchange on practices, experiences and learnings. This sharing of knowledge among peers advances the learning agenda. 

If you want to know more about how c&c addresses exchange of learnings, get in touch with us!