At a Glance

Location: Colombia

Impact Areas: Suppliers

People Supported:
Smallholder Farmers, Youth

Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2024

Overview

The mountainous region of Cauca in southwestern Colombia is renowned for producing some of the country’s finest coffees. Yet, local farmers continue to face challenges due to armed conflict and illegal mining that threaten their traditional ways of life and the lands they rely on for their livelihoods.

Federación Campesina del Cauca (FCC) was founded in 1971 as a vital support network for small coffee producers and their families. Formed by five local farming associations, FCC represents and protects small producers’ rights and ensures they earn a living income. Today, the cooperative sources organic, Fair Trade coffee from 483 smallholder farmers operating in the region, over 30% of whom are women. The first coffee enterprise in Colombia to export with Fair Trade, it ensures its members premium prices and sells their high-quality, 100% Fair Trade beans to local clients and international businesses in Europe and Asia.

In a region where access to education and technical knowledge is limited, FCC provides comprehensive training to coffee producers and their families. As members of FCC, farmers receive ongoing support to complete organic and Fair Trade certifications and implement long-term sustainable farming methods that strengthen their traditional practices and the quality of the coffee they grow.

One of these methods is crop diversification, which is a natural way to improve soil health and coffee plant quality. FCC supports its members to exchange native seeds to plant banana, yuca, corn, and citrus fruits alongside their coffee trees. The cooperative also encourages agroforestry methods, such as growing crops in forested areas, which provides coffee trees with shade and prevents soil erosion. 

Close to 160 of the farming families that FCC supports are led by women and the organization works to support women across all areas of coffee farming, from growing and harvesting beans to making key decisions and managing operations. The cooperative also fosters a supportive environment for women to play significant roles within the organization, with women occupying 40% of positions on the FCC management team.

NESsT Investment

FCC is eager to build upon four decades of impact in Cauca and engage more local farmers in the region, especially young people and women. Recognizing the vital role they play in preserving their lands and securing future sustainable livelihoods, FCC will implement a rural school project to educate young people and women on how to adapt farms to climate change and ensure their future productivity.

Another way FCC supports farmers to become more climate resilient is by diversifying their income streams. FCC provides farmers with support to introduce bees to their farms. In addition to providing households with additional income, beekeeping addresses coffee flower loss due to climate change and boosts pollination. NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship’s investment will allow FCC to implement 110 hives across 11 organic farms and evolve its branding and communications to become a trusted brand of organic coffee and honey.