Promoting alliances to boost the sustainability and competitiveness of Latin American coffee growers

During the Many Voices, One Region event organized by CAF within the 77th UN General Assembly framework, international experts discussed the importance of sustainability in developing coffee-farming communities, increasing their competitiveness and turning them into benchmarks for other agricultural sectors in the region.

September 20, 2022

CAF brought together a leading group of international experts to discuss the best initiatives to promote prosperity, improve incomes, contribute to the welfare of coffee producers in Latin America and the Caribbean, and articulate the green agenda based on low-carbon, climate-resilient, and inclusive agricultural practices.

During the event, the study Coffee Producers’ Prosperity through National Coffee Sustainability Plans framed within the SDGs, developed by the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, led by Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, was also discussed. Partnerships were promoted to achieve a more inclusive agricultural sector for countries in the region.

Sergio Díaz-Granados, CAF’s executive president, said that “for Latin America, coffee is history. It is its essence and also its future. It is capable of transcending borders, languages, and cultures and is a wonderful demonstration that we are, in effect, many voices, one region.” He also stressed that more than 25 million families in at least 60 countries have coffee as their livelihood, and that 15 countries in the region produce more than 60% of the coffee consumed in the world. “Coffee is in CAF’s DNA. It is the main mineral export product, the largest contributor to rural GDP and the largest employer in the countryside,” he said.

Jeffrey Sachs, professor at Columbia University, emphasized the importance of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals in coffee-growing regions to improve their development, in addition to the need for communities to have schools, clinics, clean water, adequate hygiene, sources of electricity, digital connectivity and peace, so as to lead fuller lives. “The SDGs can be seen from different perspectives, but the right way to achieve them is to ensure that economic needs are met, that there is no malnutrition, that there is access to education and health, and that there is gender equality,” added Sachs.

After the speech by Professor Sachs, the panel moderated by Roberto Vélez-Vallejo, General Manager of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia convened. Mr. Vélez-Vallejo highlighted the importance of caring for the environment as a tool for the development and sustainability of Latin American coffee growers.

Leonor Zalabata, Colombia’s ambassador to the UN, says: “sustainable development is in the minds of those of us who live in the countryside and grow crops. There was a time when coffee beans had defects because of new technologies, but thanks to spiritual practices we managed to save those beans.” “The inclusion of traditional knowledge and techniques from indigenous societies contributes to achieving the SDGs. If incorporated in a practical way within rural communities where they already exist, these can show the world a method that is not widely known, helping us prosper in different way,” said Torres.

Alicia Montalvo, manager of climate action and positive biodiversity at CAF, commented that understanding the environment is key to the development approach when dealing with the agricultural sector. “Some of the poverty in these communities is a result of environmental problems, and it is important to work on resilience and resistance by implementing new technologies. Soil degradation makes coffee cultivation less productive, which makes it clear that working for environmental sustainability is in turn working for the economic sustainability of communities,” said Montalvo.

Meanwhile, Frederick Kawuma, Secretary General Emeritus of the Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO), said that “it’s important to have a strategy when working with farmers’ groups, to make them understand what needs to be done so that they reach the level of prosperity they need and know the environmental responsibility associated with it, so that they can apply these in practices that improve the environment.” He also pointed out the importance of educating farmers in strategies that will achieve sustainability goals.

Jamie Coats, CEO of Wise Responders together with Co-founder Sophia Oxford, pointed out the importance of looking at all perspectives, not only from an economical viewpoint, but also from an educational and health-related viewpoint and such. Doing so helps us become aware that multidimensional poverty exists and identify what it is, so that it can be reduced and ultimately eradicated.

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