The initiative for Coffee & Climate (C&C) unveils a new toolbox on the app to facilitate smallholder coffee farmers on productivity and become resilient to the climate change
September 11 - 2024
Coffee Geography Magazine
The initiative for coffee&climate (c&c) launched the new c&c toolbox, an interactive web app on climate-smart coffee cultivation for smallholder coffee farmers and agronomists worldwide. It is free of charge, interactive, and comes in different languages: www.toolbox.coffee. Climate change impacts, such as prolonged droughts, heavier rains, more pests and diseases, and lower yields threaten coffee production worldwide. Smallholder coffee farmers around the globe, who cover 80% of global production, are facing unprecedented challenges. In response to these challenges and the needs of coffee farmers, the c&c has developed the new toolbox together with farmers, agronomic experts and researchers to bridge the gap between science and farmer know-how.
The initiative for coffee&climate (c&c) is a pre-competitive partnership of private and public actors. Working in seven regions worldwide, c&c supports smallholder coffee farming families and their communities to effectively respond to climate change, increase their resilience, and improve their livelihoods. More than 133,000 coffee farming households have been trained on climate-smart techniques to date.
c&c Chairperson and Chair of Löfbergs
Kathrine Löfberg, c&c Chairperson and Chair of Löfbergs Sweden, says: "The launch of the new c&c toolbox marks a crucial step in helping smallholder coffee farmers adapt to the challenges of climate change – a milestone that could only be achieved through the collaborative efforts of the c&c members working together for a sustainable future."
Smallholder farmers constitute by far the largest group of actors in the coffee sector.
"Farming communities have increased access to digital tools", says Victor Komakech, Climate Change Coordinator at Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Uganda. "We are working with a lot of young people who want to farm as business, and they are very interested to use digital tools."
Accessible via smartphone, tablet, and laptop, even in low-bandwidth areas, the new c&c toolbox offers climate-smart coffee practices, so-called "tools", in the form of easy-to-use step-by-step instructions. Farmers find practical instructions for the climate change impacts on their farm in the form of graphics, short videos and descriptions in local languages. Extensionists get valuable insights in a dedicated trainer section to support farmers in achieving climate-smart coffee production.
The new c&c toolbox is a go-to knowledge hub that combines known practices and innovative methods to effectively tackle climate change. It aims at climate-smart coffee cultivation, fostering resilience against climate impacts while nurturing biodiversity, promoting reforestation, and ensuring farmers' livelihoods.
Stefan Ruge, Program Manager coffee&climate
‘In order to have a liable and thriving future, farmers need to move away from outdated practices to innovative and adaptive approaches", says Stefan Ruge, Program Manager coffee&climate. “We are building capacity in the coffee sector by empowering farmers with the knowledge and resources they need, and by sharing the coffee&climate toolbox as a public good".
The new c&c toolbox places great emphasis on inclusivity ensuring global accessibility regardless of age, gender, or education level. It will continue to evolve based on farmer know-how and latest scientific insights.
The c&c toolbox is backed by the initiative for coffee&climate (c&c), a global group of action driven coffee companies together with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
c&c was founded in 2010 by the shareholders of International Coffee Partners (ICP) together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and is coordinated and implemented by Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS). Today it consists of the founding members Delta Cafés, Franck, Joh. Johannson, Lavazza Foundation, Löfbergs, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, Paulig, and Tchibo, the associate members Julius Meinl, Smuckers, Tim Hortons, and Walter Matter as well as the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency as public partner.