Few people are more aware of the immediate impact of global climate change than those whose livelihoods depend on farming small parcels of land. On steep hillsides in the biodiverse forests of the Sierra Madres in Chiapas, Mexico, the farmers who grow green coffee beans for Café Mam face enormous challenges. Increasing temperatures and changing precipitation patterns affect yields and leave coffee plants vulnerable to pests and disease. Unpredictable rainfall brings longer dry seasons and stronger deluges that erode the fertile soil. Threats to the health of this unique forest climate equally threaten the security of the income for farmers. As an acknowledgement of this reality, for every pound of coffee we purchase, we contribute an additional 10¢ to be used for projects the farmers decide may help mitigate the effects of climate change. These are examples of how our farmer cooperative partners have utilized these funds:

• The planting of over 3000 trees: Large-scale shade and fruit tree planting efforts help maintain farming microclimates, prevent erosion, sequester carbon, and help diversify income for farmers.
• Composting facilities: The cooperatives are building composting facilities, “bio-fabricas”, to supply coop member farmers with rich vermiculture and compost tea utilizing the local microbiome.
• Solar power: Retrofitting cooperative processing and administration buildings to clean solar energy.
• Erosion control: Planting groundcover for improved soil health and erosion control.
• Education: Educational programs for rural farming communities focused on instilling a culture of protection and conservation of the incredibly biodiverse rainforest buffer zone they inhabit and in which the coffee is grown.

Since its inception in 2019, Café Mam’s Climate Change Mitigation Fund has granted $232,000 and counting, as we intend to continue the fund for all our coffee purchases going forward. Time and again our farmer partners have taught us that those with the closest relationship to the land have the most effective and remarkable solutions. We hope to continue to encourage the implementation of practical solutions for farming communities in Chiapas in a rapidly changing climate. None of these worthy projects would be funded without our customers. From the farmers and from us, thank you for making this possible!

To find out more about Café Mam’s work with small producer organizations in Chiapas and Small Producer Certified (SPP) visit: https://cafemam.com/pages/about-spp