This Plan Vivo-certified Acorn project, run by our partner Solidaridad in Colombia, supports over 22,000 smallholder coffee farmers and over 20,000 cocoa farmers across the country’s major cocoa- and coffee‑producing regions.

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About the farmers

Most of the smallholder farmers participating in this project struggle financially due to the volatility of commodity prices and exchange rates, leaving their livelihoods highly vulnerable to market fluctuations. Their financial state continues to worsen over time due to the negative impact climate change has on farm productivity and income. That’s why the project aims to realize improved food security due to the expected increases in productivity, coffee and cocoa yields, and income diversification (carbon credits), that help farmers to afford a variety of nutritious food.

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About Solidaridad

Solidaridad Network is an international civil society organisation established in 1969 that aims to create fair and sustainable supply chains. With 55 years of experience in developing solutions to make communities more resilient, they operate in over 40 countries worldwide to enable farmers, mines and workers to earn a decent income, shape their own future, and produce in balance with nature.

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Acorn's impact

Solidaridad Colombia continues to provide farmers with agroforestry training and advice, planting resources, and free transportation to visit and observe successful agroforestry systems. The income from carbon credits that farmers will receive will allow them to afford the necessary materials needed for the long-term maintenance of their agroforestry system.

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By planting diverse native shade trees in their coffee and cocoa plantations, farmers can improve their land's soil quality, create a better micro-climate, increase the number of pollinators, increase the carbon storage on farms, while increasing their total farm productivity and income.

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Project Activities

The project has already undertaken the following activities:

• Developed a farmer‑led service ecosystem through Asómbrate, highlighting both the protective shade provided by trees and the sense of amazement that comes from doing good for nature while receiving incentives in return.
• A selection of the trees (according to traditional knowledge and farmer desires
• Created the Carbon Academy is an online training space with an accessible, user‑friendly digital platform, offering learning on climate‑smart agriculture practices.
• Training sessions by lead farmers for their local community
• Established nurseries
• Pruning of shade trees by using machinery (under bailment contracts)
• Pest control activities

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Project Documentation

Click the links below to download the project's certification documents.

• Eligibility Certificate
• Acorn Design Document (ADD)
• Annual Report
• Validation & Verification Report

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Watch our BBC documentary about our Acorn project, in partnership with Solidaridad Colombia and Microsoft.