Rikolto in Latin America: Growing the future of the coffee sector
The coffee sector faces a series of opportunities and challenges From their farm fields, farmers fight against resistant plagues and a continuous increase in the production costs.
The public sector collaborates in alliances that support organisations to reach a coffee of high value and quality.
The private sector is assuming strategies by diverse actors for the contribution to sustainability of the productive chain.
Among the challenges there’s an unseen risk for the income’s source of millions of coffee family farms because of climate change and a highly competitive environment. Thus, it becomes urgent to support them and their organisations, motivating their professionalization to achieve inclusiveness in one of the main agricultural commodities of the continent, ensuring a worthy life for those who produce it and contributing to the development of the farming communities.
Our approach In its programmes, Rikolto test and validate new solutions to innovate and improve our food systems. Our agile network formed by international partners offers farmers organisations, a broad experience in the sector, a solid evaluation and business tools, as well as personalized training for business and inclusive development.
How do we impact? We are a key player in Latin America in the promotion of trade union processes and the generation of multi stakeholders’ platforms, involving the private sector, universities and public instances. Based on evidence, we have contributed to the generation of action plans for the development of the coffee sector of the region.
Which elements we work with? Transverse approaches • Inclusive business • Gender equality • Generational integration • Intelligent climatic agriculture • Multi-actor/multilevel dialogue
Methodologies and tools • SenseMaker • Scope Insight • Link Methodology (inclusive business) • Life cycle analysis (environmental trace)
Rikolto is part of different networks and platforms that grant an additional value to its operation, between them: Global Coffee Platform, Apen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), Agribusiness Market Ecosystem Alliance (AMEA) and The Learning Alliance in Central America and Peru.
Rikolto at the service of the coffee chain Through our programme, we seek to contribute to the sustainable development of the coffee sector through connect all the actors and the generation of an enabling environment that guarantees the supply of quality coffee and the improvement of life conditions of the farming families, as well as the care of the environment.
We empower coffe farmers organisations •
We contribute to the profesionalization of the farmers organisations and others associative models to achieve competitiveness and profitability for the farming families.
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We provide the basis to achieve resilience facing the effects of climate change starting with the implementation of profitable and diversified production systems based on the innovation; as the development of research for the analysis of climate variability and the measurement of the environmental trace.
We promote the participation of women and youth •
We develop methodologies to uncover young people’s perspectives and dreams.
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We create opportunities for young women and men and empower them to revitalise value chains and food systems through innovation. These opportunities range from production to processing, marketing and quality checking to creating their own start-ups.
We create an overall enabling environment •
We connect all the stakeholders in the productive chain, encouraging the knowledge management, the empowerment of each actor and the generation of incidence spaces.
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We strengthen the institutional framework of the coffee sector by further promoting public and institutional policies.
About Rikolto Rikolto (formerly VECO/Vredeseilanden) is an international NGO with more than 40 years’ experience in partnering with farmer organisations and food chain stakeholders across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Rikolto runs programmes in 15 countries worldwide through eight regional offices.
Our partners • • •
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Honduras: Honduras: Sustainable Coffee Platform, National Coffee Council, Honduran Institute of Coffee, Rainforest Alliance and Solidarity. Ecuador: National Association of Coffee Export, AACRI, AAPROCNOP, RAPCIC, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Production, and External Trade and BanEcuador. Peru: National Board of Coffee, APROCASSI, CAC La Prosperidad de Chirinos, CAC Pangoa, National Institute of Quality, Producers Direct, Agricultural and Irrigation Ministry, and Ministry of Production and PROMPERU. Nicaragua: Nicaraguan Sustainable Coffee Platform, National Coffee Growers Alliance of Nicaragua, Rainforest Alliance and Solidarity.
“Rikolto has been a fundamental part of our growth. Today we count with associations that improve the life of the community and contribute to food safety through productive entrepeneurships of coffee and other products” Victoria Alberca, APECAP (Ecuador)
Contact Mariela Wismann, Coffee Program Director in Latin America mariela.wismann@rikolto.org rikolto.org linkedin.com/company/rikolto @rikoltoLA @rikoltoLA