This Plan Vivo-certified Acorn project, run by our partner La Laja in Mexico, supports over 4,000 smallholder coffee farmers in Huatusco.
Huatusco, in the Veracruz region of Mexico, is home to many coffee smallholder farmers. The estimated average plot size per farmer in the region is 2,65 ha. The average income in the Veracruz region is lower than other areas in Mexico. The region faces an aging population, worsened by the migration of youth to northern countries or to urban areas, where the average income is higher. Other challenges farmers face include soil erosion and nutrient depletion as a result of climate change (and the resulting erratic rain patterns and temperatures), the instability of coffee prices, and the appearance of new pests and coffee-specific diseases.
While the region’s population has a higher percentage of men, when it comes to La Laja, the number of women participation in farmer groups has increased, which has led to more gender balance and women influence in the last years. This gender balance is further supported by the active efforts of civil and governmental organizations.
During preliminary meetings and discussions, smallholder farmers eligible for the Acorn program communicated that they were motivated by the idea of being rewarded for environmentally friendly actions — something the Acorn approach, where improving agroforestry practices leads to income from the sale of carbon credits, is founded on.
La Laja is a coffee production and export company based in the State of Veracruz. They have worked at a national level since 1999, and currently engages with 15,000 farmers, essential stakeholders in its value chain.
This project aims to care for the area’s natural ecosystems, improving the existing agroforestry farms, while minimizing the impact of climate change on both the environment and farmers’ livelihoods. Like all Acorn projects, a crucial objective is to support smallholder farmers livelihood through improved yields, diversified crops and potential carbon revenue from CRU sales, which would ideally increase youth participation to avoid rural migration and address the lack of available labor. The project also intends to raise awareness among farmers on how to better care for the environment through sustainable, livelihood-enhancing practices.
The project has already undertaken the following activities:
Click the links below to download the project's certification documents.
