In February, Coffee Kids Program Department staff went to Peru to meet with Coffee Kids counterpart COCLA and visit with other cooperatives and organizations working to improve the lives of coffee-farming families.

Although some sectors of the Peruvian economy have not been affected by the world economic crisis in a visible way due to government subsidies, the reality of the global financial crunch is evident in rural areas.


During our stay, we met with various cooperatives in the provinces of San Igancio and Jaen, in the northern department of Cajamarca. According to national and UN statistics poverty in these areas affects 75% of the population.

In the communities of Tamborapa Pueblo, Tabaconas and Rodeopampa, we met with coffee producers and their families. Most of the families depend largely on coffee as their main source of income. One of the families we met told us that a family of five needs at least 50 dollars a week for food, which doesn’t seem like much to many of the people reading this. But to families living below the poverty line, this is up to 60% of their weekly income.

On our visit, we saw how people are confronting these problems. In Tamborapa Pueblo, Carmen Rivera, a mother of four, has created a small organic garden to produce vegetables for her family. She guided us through her small parcel with great excitement and showed us the radishes, lettuce, peppers, beans, peaches and other vegetables that she uses to feed her family and make extra income selling the surplus. Several women in the community have followed her example creating their own gardens.

People in these communities understand that sometimes the earnings from the coffee harvest are not enough and they occasionally have to rely on other sources of income such as raising chickens or guinea pigs. Many people also work on other coffee parcels to earn money for their families.

The coffee cooperatives know that coffee is not enough. Though coffee exports are growing in Peru, international markets are uncertain and higher prices for quality coffee still don’t cover all of their needs.

The cooperatives in this region are working to implement grassroots programs that provide health, education, and commercial opportunities to their members. Our visit gave us an intimate understanding of the reality of coffee in Peru and reinforced the belief that families in these communities have the tools to confront their challenges on their own, all they need is support and resources.