Environmental Awareness Starts on the Farm
The upcoming Issue of CATALYST Strategic Design Review, based on the theme of Designing Wellbeing in communities both local and global, features projects by The Rainforest Alliance. In February, Rainforest Alliance communications associate Charlie Watson visited several coffee farms in Guatemala that are part of a special initiative developed by Nestlé Nespresso* and the Rainforest Alliance. Here, Charlie describes the changes he saw taking place while visiting those farms…
While the journey from my home near Guatemala City to Las Brisas Cooperative in Guatemala’s Jalapa region can be beautiful — rolling hills, steep rocky climbs and diverse natural vegetation – it also shows a more unpleasant side of Guatemala. Polluted rivers, bare and dusty open land, and roadside litter — these are the realities of a country still fighting to instill widespread respect for the environment.
Yet after a sharp descent into the green valley where Las Brisas Cooperative lies, I notice a significant difference — no litter, more tree cover, clean rivers and birds flying in the canopy overhead. Las Brisas Cooperative, comprised of 58 individual farms, has been working with the Rainforest Alliance and Nespresso since 2007 in a joint initiative to guide farmers toward high-quality coffee production that is environmentally sound, socially just and economically viable.
As Mario Lopez, agriculture project coordinator for the Rainforest Alliance, and I arrive at the cooperative in our 4×4 vehicle, the three years of work are quickly apparent. We are greeted by Augusto Morales, the cooperative’s cheerful manager and the proud owner of a five-acre (two-hectare) farm. Morales is supervising the transition to high-quality sustainable coffee production — an endeavor that is centered on combining the latest science with decades-old farming techniques.
During a tour of two of the 58 individual farms, there is a real sense that this is a special cooperative with special workers. Of all the changes that are taking place within the co-op, Morales points out that among the most obvious is the increased pride that farmers take in their work. He stresses that farmers’ attitudes toward soil quality, water conservation, biodiversity protection and working conditions have shifted since joining the program.
Farm owners in the co-op now look to count bird species on their farms, increase vegetative cover above the soil and dig small holes amongst the coffee plants to help collect and conserve water on steep slopes. “We now see the benefits of looking after our coffee plants in an environmentally friendly way,” Morales says. From their focus on planting more trees to their efforts at minimizing chemical use and conserving water resources, I get a clear sense that all the farmers truly care for their coffee beans.
Standing amongst the coffee bushes on one farm, I notice the soil around the coffee plants is well-guarded with high grass cover, while a shade canopy keeps the coffee plants protected from the hot tropical sun. Since forest cover also catches rain, provides firewood and fruits for farm workers, protects the soil and shelters countless species of wildlife, keeping that cover intact is something that Morales and the other farmers take very seriously.
Read the full post on The Frog Blog
