COMMUNAL DRIERS PROJECT IN META, COLOMBIA

During the last weeks, we moved the first step of our 2021 commitment for the municipality of Mesetas, in Meta coffee region (Colombia). 

La Reserva de ¡Tierra! Coffee Defenders in collaboration with Lavazza Foundation and supported by Carcafé, officially started the educational phase of the first 2 associations that will be involved in the future use of communal drying stations. 

Between February and March, we assessed the most suitable associations and started the organization of the first trainings specifically focused on basic accounting methods ad teamwork dynamics for all the members that will be responsible for the management of the infrastructures. Following these first assessment and the first meetings we will proceed by the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 with the identification of the most suitable drying system for the involved associations: ASODALE, a female only association of 22 coffee grower and ASOPROGRESAR, an association with more than 60 members and part of them already involved in RFA certification program.

This first training phase marks the beginning of a multiyear commitment to set a total of 4 communal drying facilities with the specific aim to increase coffee quality and favor cooperation to solve the bottleneck of parchment drying of Meta coffee region where, during 10 months of the year, farmers can have up to 6,000 millimeters of pluviosity (double the amount that they have in traditional coffee axis regions) with the consequent risk that harvested beans can re-absorb humidity spoiling the cup profile and farmers’ one year’s efforts.

By the end of the task, we expect to reach and support almost 200 farmers within the Department of Meta in the municipalities of Lejanìas, San Juan de Arama and Mesetas.

In Meta, we will start a day-by-day work to concretely impact on SDGs 8,4 and 9: strengthening the   associative work, educating the coffee growers associations with specific formative sessions and encouraging the community in adopting technology to enhance the general coffee quality and productivity

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