Doubling Income for the Poorest Farmers in Peru

Hey there, sports fans!

What an absolute thriller of a year for the farmers of the Lacco Valley and this project. Farmers saw increases in production, increases in incomes, and decreases in pests and plagues for what was indubitably an excellent harvest year. All credit goes to the resolve and strength of the farmers who took the teachings and materials provided by the AASD and this project, and turned them into measurable results. Next up is data collection to determine exactly how the harvest and farmer incomes grew using the baseline from last year.

Now comes the hard part. We are officially done with the harvest, so the project needs to ramp up and get the farmers the training and materials they need to build upon the growth from this year. The AASD is more motivated than ever to make this happen, and our team has created a robust and multi-faceted plan to achieve our goals. However, we can't be as successful as we would like without the support from donors like you! Let's make this year twice as effective as the previous and turn the Lacco Valley from an unknown producing region in rural Peru to an internationally recognized origin for high-quality, ethical coffee.

Be on the lookout for coffee bearing the names of these farmers and their communities in a coffee shop near you. We were able to help them sign a lucrative contract with one of the US' biggest coffee importers, meaning that roasters from across the nation will have the opportunity to source this truly unique coffee!

Saludos y bendiciones,

The AASD

Great news from the Lacco Valley of the Mapacho River Valley!

The end of the rainy season means that harvest is well underway for the indigenous coffee farming communities of Mendosayoc, Juihuay, and Umapata. Pests and plagues remain a significant problem, however early harvest reporting indicates that this project, through an organic fertilization campaign, has reduced the incidence of coffee leaf rust and farms are looking healthier than they have in years.

Additionally, this quarter we were able to hire a post-harvest expert to train farmers on best practices for the management of coffee after the harvest. With the expert’s help, farmers were able to implement the skills learned in the workshops to improve quality and make their product more consistent. It is hard to understate the importance of quality control in specialty coffee because farmers are paid by how their coffee scores on a quality scale.

Between significant efforts in fertilization and post-harvest training, the project is making strides towards doubling farmer incomes. However, with proof of concept out of the way, funding now remains the most significant obstacle to achieving project objectives. As soon as harvest finishes in August, we will need to take the next steps for current participants and expand the project to meet the demand in the communities. With your help we can achieve significant results for hundreds of farmers in the valley. Please, continue to donate and support some of the most remote coffee growing communities in Peru!

Thank you for your support and we look forward to updating you all with results from this year’s harvest!

Sincerely,

The AASD