Coffee ++
Together with Nestlé, SASI is working to improve living conditions and climate resilience in the coffee industry. Farmers receive training and support to implement regenerative farming methods – for better harvests and higher incomes.
The project at glance
Background
Despite rising demand for Robusta coffee, coffee yields in key producing countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand remain well below potential and are increasingly affected by the impacts of climate change. Production and cultivation methods are rarely adapted to climate change, and innovative approaches such as regenerative agriculture and related practices are not widely adopted. A significant proportion of smallholder farmers live in poverty. Producers often lack access to the knowledge and resources needed to implement modern, sustainable, climate-adapted, and economically optimized farm management practices.
The Coffee++ project
Coffee++ follows on from the collaboration between GIZ and Nestlé as part of the develoPPP project “Improving Smallholder Coffee Farming Systems in Southeast Asia (Coffee+)”. Coffee iDPP builds on this foundation and provides producers in Côte d'Ivoire, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand with technical and entrepreneurial knowledge to improve their income and climate resilience. The training measures for farmers are based on proven approaches such as good agricultural practices, regenerative agricultural practices, Farmer Business School (FBS), agroforestry practices, and the strengthening of farmers' organizations. Implementation takes place through on-site training and the introduction of digital tools such as the FBS app. By establishing strategic partnerships with public and private organizations and civil society, Coffee++ aims to strengthen and expand the benefits for development beyond the project.
What is an integrated development partnership?
An integrated development partnership (iDPP) is a joint initiative between a project run by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and one or more private companies. In the case of coffee, the iDPP is part of the global program “Sustainability and Value Creation in Agricultural Supply Chains.”
Our Approach
Curbing emissions through regenerative agriculture:
Nestlé and GIZ are supporting farmers to adopt regenerative agricultural practices such as agroforestry and cover crops. This can improve soil health and biodiversity and reduce the carbon emissions of coffee cultivation. In Ivory Coast and Indonesia, Nestlé is piloting incentive payment schemes with farmers in which they receive a direct mobile money transfer for the proven adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.
Progress towards bridging the living income gap:
Through crop diversification, yield increase, and incentive payments for the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices, household incomes can increase. Farm-level data is collected with a digital tool, and the learnings are shared with stakeholder forums and industry associations such as the Technical Workstream Living and Prosperous Income, part of the public- private Task Force of the International Coffee Organization (ICO).
Empowering women in coffee farming
Nestlé and GIZ support groups of women farmers in improving their financial literacy and decision-making skills with regard to cash crops and the use of their income. In addition, the women receive training and advice on developing income-generating activities. By establishing savings groups, the program aims to help increase their ability to save. At the community level, we promote awareness-raising measures to strengthen recognition of the important role of women in coffee production and to promote gender equality.