Sustainable cocoa and coffee

More coffee, less CO2: towards a carbon-neutral coffee in Ecuador and Peru

March 21, 2023

Now more than ever, consumers want to know where their coffee comes from. They prefer it to be ethically and environmentally sustainable, and are willing to pay a premium for it.  As a result, low-carbon coffee has become the dream of many producers, as a way to reach high-value markets. The promise of certified carbon neutral coffee is even more ambitious, taking them one step further into the future.

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Country

Region

Zamora Chinchipe (Ecuador), Cajamarca (Peru)

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Scope

6500 coffee growers from 10 cooperatives in Cajamarca; 30 young entrepreneurs in Cajamarca; 79 technicians and leaders from both countries

Icon Duration

Duration

2022-2023

But rising temperatures, increased pest risk and unpredictable rainfall threaten this dream. Expanding the agricultural frontier poses additional problems to increasing C02 emissions: deforestation, water depletion, loss of biodiversity. Producers and their organisations are faced with investments that increase every year. They have to make decisions based on the information they have at hand.  

More and more farmers are starting to see how climate change affects them and see their livelihoods threatened. They recognise the impact of their production on mitigating and reducing carbon emissions. And they know that the future of sustainable production lies in addressing critical areas of the production process and using agroforestry systems.

Our approach

The project is a commitment to a product that has a smaller environmental footprint and is aimed at a growing market. Find out how:

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More coffee, less CO2 creates a starting point in the Southern Andean region to develop strategies and policies that allow for neutral coffee, in compliance with international standards and certifications for environmentally friendly practices.

  • We promote training programmes on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and agroforestry system design for technicians, producers and farmer leaders.
  • We ensure those trained in LCA methodology are certified.
  • We support the creation of tools and guidelines for planning and applying models in the field.
  • We systematise experiences that contribute to analysing sub-national and national climate change policies and strategies.
  • We partner and co-create in multi-stakeholder spaces to promote carbon neutral coffee.
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Some expected results

  • 17 public and private actors have adopted the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology to promote coffee production with a smaller environmental footprint.
  • 5 public policies and strategies are strengthened through co-creation in multi-stakeholder spaces (towards a carbon-neutral coffee policy)
  • 79 technicians and producers are enabled and/or certified to provide technical assistance to achieve greater carbon sequestration, using agroforestry systems and the LCA methodology.

Who do we work with?

PUCP
CONGOPE
ESPOL
G-STIC
Cajamarca Coffee Multi-stakeholder platform

Contact

Napoleón Molina

Coordinador del programa Ingresos dignos y Resilientes en Café | Honduras

napoleon.molina@rikolto.org

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