Coffeelands

The Blog

view all

Assessing Vertical Integration as a Feasible and Profitable Business Strategy for Smallholder Agriculture

2024-01-10 Comments Off on Assessing Vertical Integration as a Feasible and Profitable Business Strategy for Smallholder Agriculture
Assessing Vertical Integration as a Feasible and Profitable Business Strategy for Smallholder Agriculture

Agricultural cooperatives and small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises (SMEs) in the Global South commonly employ strategies of vertical integration. There are thousands of examples of cooperatives, across diverse geographies and crops, that participate in the production, processing and transport of agricultural goods. In many cases, these same agribusinesses also provide inputs and credit to their […]

The intimate relationship between farmers, the land and climate

2023-09-11 Comments Off on The intimate relationship between farmers, the land and climate
The intimate relationship between farmers, the land and climate

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 […]

Cost-effective coffee farm renovation and rehabilitation

2023-04-18 Comments Off on Cost-effective coffee farm renovation and rehabilitation
Cost-effective coffee farm renovation and rehabilitation

In a recent post we explained the reasons for launching the RENACER Coffee Farm Management School in El Salvador. This posts provides a bit more depth on goals and lessons related to coffee farm renovation. In 2018 we carried out social and economic studies of rural communities in western El Salvador. This same year global […]