More news from Newcastle-based organisation Shared Interest about how they are helping producers across the world to combat climate change and make a success of their sustainable and ethical agricultural enterprises.
Adapting to uncertainty in the north of Nicaragua
As the climate crisis deepens so uncertainty has become a key feature of life for coffee farmers in the hills of northern Nicaragua. The familiar rainfall patterns which farmers in northern Nicaragua are used to are no longer taking place and consequently it is harder to predict when flowering will take place. Also the windows of time when the harvest can happen are becoming smaller and smaller. For the many smallholder producers in Nicaragua these changes have become a major threat to their livelihood.
Jaime Antonio Dormuz, who is a coffee farmer and a member of the Sacacli Cooperative comments:
“The climate is just irregular. Sometimes we are waiting and waiting and waiting for rain. And sometimes it rains at the wrong time.”
It is in this context of the changing climate that Sacacli has been able to do so much to help coffee growers in northern Nicaragua. They have helped farmers to diversify into the cultivation of other crops such as cherry tomatoes and chilli peppers when the weather conditions are too dry for growing coffee. They’ve also helped the coffee growers gain the correct certificates as part of a framework for long term resilience.
Access to finance has been vital to all these initiatives. The experience of Sacacli has shown what climate resilience looks like in practice, protecting the soil, bringing in shade systems so that plants can be protected from the worst of the heat and diversifying income streams. This has been made possible by the support of Shared Interest members.
A hopeful future for mango producers in Ghana
The export of tropical fruits including mangoes is very important to the economy of the West African country of Ghana. Indeed over 1.7 million tonnes of mangoes are produced annually and this produce can provide economic security for thousands of smallholders in the country.
However, under one in five mangoes in the country are produced ‘in -country’ which limits opportunities for employment and added value for local farmers.
Shared Interest has been able to change this situation by supporting Bomarts Farms Limited, who are helping to give Ghanian mango producers a fruitful future. Bomarts has been a customer of Shared Interest since 2013.
Founder and CEO of Bomarts, Anthony Botchway commented:
”We have invested in innovating processing equipment to support production of mango tablets and mango balls, each processing line has a capacity of about 500 kilogrammes per day and with two lines in operation we can process up to one tonne daily.”
Coffee, cooperation and community in Peru
The Alto Mayo region is found in northern Peru and it is in this area that coffee growing is said to be so important that it is not just a crop, but the very backbone of rural life. For many decades the Soritor district has been ideal for growing coffee beans. With warm days, mist-cooled nights and rich, fertile soils, it is possible to grow high quality Arabica coffee in the area.
Consequently, thousands of smallholder farmers in the region depend on it for their income. However today this is another part of the world where climate change is bringing a shift in rainfall patterns and with them, rising temperatures, new threats to crops and a great deal of uncertainty.
Supporting the smallholders is an organisation called Valle Grande who have been a Shared Interest customer for five years now and they have been able to use an export credit facility to pre finance coffee contacts.
General manager Ivan Bernales has commentated:
“For many of our members coffee is not only a product – it is the main source of livelihood for their families. Through Valle Grande, farmers have greater opportunities to improve their farms, access international markets and work towards a better future for their communities.”
The Valle Grande cooperative has also been focusing on biodiversity and ensuring that the coffee growing is taking place in a sustainable environment.
Working cooperatively to combat climate change
As ever, the latest report from Shared Interest makes for very inspiring reading. One the one hand it shows just how difficult Climate Change, mostly the product of the richer North, is making life for people in the Global South. On the other hand it shows that we can help people to overcome Climate Injustice and to produce agricultural products that can benefit us all.
For more information about Shared Interest and how you can help them, please see here .
