August 7, 2024 – We’re laying the groundwork for IMPACT, Sucafina’s responsible sourcing program, with dedicated IMPACT Ambassadors who are learning about the intricacies of our program and sustainability more broadly. These knowledgeable colleagues will be key advocates who share engaging and topical information about IMPACT both internally and externally.
As part of their 1-year program, the IMPACT Ambassadors traveled to Rwanda and Kenya to see how our origin teams are implementing sustainability interventions on the ground, meeting with IMPACT-verified farmers that Sucafina works with directly and other actors in the supply chain. IMPACT Ambassadors Maria Barquin, Senior Trader, Joel Karangwa, Specialty Supply Chain Officer at Rwacof (Sucafina’s sister company in Rwanda), and Jamie White, Sales Trader, share their insights into the recent trip.
What did you learn from the IMPACT-verified farmers you spoke with?
Maria: IMPACT is helping farmers access information about rejuvenating trees. There is a lot of awareness about rejuvenating their farms and using more disease- and pest-resistant varieties. Compared to neighbors who are not in the program, farmers use more advanced methods like grafting and have good access to genetic material. Thanks to this, and other agricultural practices, they have higher yields compared to other farmers (around 5kg cherry per tree vs 3kg).
Jamie: We heard from Charlotte, a farmer delivering to Karenge washing station, that with support from Rwacof, she was able to more than double the number of coffee trees on her farm, which is helping to support her 7 children. We learned that through gender equity training, more women and young people are stepping up to own and operate their own farms.
Joel: The farmers that we spoke with said that they are seeing and feeling the effects of climate change, which means that IMPACT initiatives are coming at a time when they are desperately needed to safeguard not only the future of coffee but also the community of coffee farmers in climate-affected areas.
How does IMPACT support farmers?
Joel: IMPACT is supporting farmers across all areas of coffee farming. Through IMPACT, there are opportunities to access trainings for better yield, accessing more affordable inputs, supporting income diversification projects and more. And on top of all of that, IMPACT is helping find a market for these responsibly sourced coffees.
Jamie: I agree and would add that farmer education is a huge way that IMPACT is supporting farmers both with improving their income in the short term and with adapting to climate change. For example, teaching farmers the benefits of stumping their aging coffee trees and supporting them in this process helps farmers to increase their yields, their incomes, and their self-sufficiency. This is helping to create healthier coffee farms, better farmer incomes, and more resilient farming communities.
What most impacted you on this trip?
Jamie: I saw just how human-centered IMPACT really is and how that’s having a resounding effect on farmers in our supply chain. The managers at the washing stations know these farmers, they support them throughout the year, and they work with them face-to-face and hand-in-hand. When we say we are working towards a living income, when we say we are promoting human rights, when we say we are promoting regenerative agriculture – there are Sucafina employees on the ground and in the fields with farmers physically handing them fair wages, giving them the tools they need to be empowered within their countries and communities, and standing beside them demonstrating how to best manage their crop. We are truly in the communities we work with.
Joel: I saw just how data-driven IMPACT is. We are able to get the maximum data, which can enhance traceability and also assist in making project decisions through IMPACT Beyond.
Maria: For me, the biggest thing I witnessed was the lengths to which we are going to build a sustainable IMPACT Program in Kenya, focusing on long-term sustainability projects with cooperatives. We’re doing this even though we do not have a guarantee that we will be able to purchase their coffees because of the way coffees are traded through a central auction. This represents a big challenge for our sustainability and trading teams, but they have managed to turn this challenge into an opportunity to grow.