By Luke Agness | Project Manager
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
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