The CaféyCaffè Project was created with the aim of improving the standard of living of small producers in rural mountain communities, reducing its socio-economic vulnerability and increasing the sustainability of their crops and their incomes.
The result is the guarantee of the most extensive and reliable supply of sustainably coffee product, high- quality features. The influence of climatic change on coffee production is no longer a questionable matter. As the ICO (International Coffee Organization) says, between 2008 and 2009, a production decrease linked to climatic changes has been registered in Middle America and Mexico. Emblematic, in this sense, is the case of Colombia, which lost 50% of its production.
The situation in El Salvador is even worse: those phenomena which occurred in a five year time frame, are now not that sporadic. Drought and flood happen almost every year, with huge consequences on coffee fields, such us the decrease of plant performance and, in general, the decrease of product quality.
Even Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, the last three seasons of harvest has faced important challenges related to the occurrence of severe drought phenomena. Suffice it to say that at the beginning of 2014, the drought that hit on Brazil has been among the most severe historically recorded, while the almost lack of rain that is coming down for over a year in the eastern areas of the country has resulted in a reduction harvest of those areas by more than 30 % compared to previous levels.
No exception, in this sense, for the production situation in Asia. In fact, for countries like Vietnam or India, affected by drought and arid lands, in 2017 we do not expect a particularly fruitful year in terms of production.
Not different is the African situation: last Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) report, about export activities in January 2010, shows that the total exportations of Robusta quality coffee, between October and January 2009/10, had a 17% volume decrease. This condition has grown worse due to the drought, which damaged the plant in its embryonic delicate phase.
So, the progressive decline of produced and exported coffee is attributable to critical climatic conditions (high temperature and sporadic rainfalls) and to the growing diffusion of Coffee Wilt Disease, topic on which they do not invest. In addition, according to the 2009 FAO report, the harvest performances are mostly influenced by climatic changes and by the competition among people, livestock and means of transport into the access to alimentary resources, in a place in which land and water run low. Perhaps the horizon there is only a possibility and a way forward.
That of an ethical economy and the construction of an increasingly close and correct relations between the different industry players, since it is only through cooperation and mutual respect that will be able to face the complexity of the issues involved and the future challenges of this as all other agricultural sectors.
The major element of innovation, today, is the centrality of the concept of “diversity” together to create value in the direct relationship between the producer and the roaster, fully aware that the success of any organization and of each product is also measured through the kind of relationship and dialogue that are established with its suppliers, in a continuous process of improvement, support and mutual growth.
One of the positive consequences of this report will be to gradually improve and/or increased efficiency in coffee production and processing conditions for the producer, whereas globally the caffeicola production is largely carried out by small producers. In this way, they will be adopted in the most advanced process technologies and cultivation techniques, which are to be regarded as instruments and means for an economically sustainable caffeicola production. At the economic level, the increase in productivity and quality of coffee means higher revenues for producers, without this resulting in increased productivity that lead to lower global prices.