Challenges in the Coffeelands

The biggest challenge for most coffee-farming families is coffee itself. Coffee is not enough.

Volatile Market

The coffee market has frequent and large price movements.

Graph Source: https://www.foodsecurityportal.org/coffee-price-volatility-alert-mechanism

Low Coffee Prices

Coffee price has fluctuated between $0.48 to $3.35 per pound historically with an average price of under $2.

Graph Source: https://www.macrotrends.net/2535/coffee-prices-historical-chart-data#google_vignette

High Food Prices

The cost of food for a healthy diet in Latin America is around $4 per person per day.

Graph Source: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/CAHD

Lack of Crop Diversification

You cannot eat coffee, and coffee alone does not provide enough income to buy healthy food to put on the table every day.

Article Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877343524000198/pdfft?md5=4abddd290cd93a73aec0aee38e021e3c&pid=1-s2.0-S1877343524000198-main.pdf

HEADS UP this doc is not really readable as an embed. And a clicker/viewer must get permission to read it when clicked on the url. 

Limited Opportunities

We work with our partners to develop or expand beekeeping, basic grain production, agroforestry activities, animal husbandry, and local farmers markets to sell surplus produce from home gardens. Our participatory approach uses a “train-the-trainer” approach, which presents new opportunities for young people to put their education to work and embed a new generation of leadership in their communities.

Maya Ixil Beekeepers

Climate Change

Climate change has devastating impacts on coffee-producing countries. Drought conditions, flooding, extreme weather events like hurricanes, and coffee rust are challenges coffee farmers face every year.

NIH National Liibrary of Medicine article: A Systematic Review on the Impacts of Climate Change on Coffee Agrosystems

A great link to read about climate change effects:

A Systematic Review on the Impacts of Climate Change on Coffee Agrosystems →