A damaging fungus, coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix), swept across the coffeelands of Central America from 2012-2014. It left withered plants and battered livelihoods in its wake. Smallholder farmers already living on the edge, lost 30—50% of their coffee production (read: their income) in a matter of months. Food insecurity stalked the region as a […]

At the RENACER coffee school, we promote sustainable farming practices that are proven to increase yields, and we train farmers how to select coffee for quality. All this has led to increased incomes for farmers. Double the yields and double the price, and we quadruple incomes for many farmers.  From experience, we know that healthy trees produce […]

Agriculture and trade & finance have a necessary but strained relationship. This is not surprising since trade and finance are dynamic, short-cycle, growth-oriented ventures, whereas farming the land to produce food, fiber, and fuel is arduous labor that requires patience in return for incremental gains. In farming, the next drought, pest outbreak or bad harvest […]