Cocagi Project Update
This year we are continuing our funding for Cocagi Femme. Due to climate issues and COVID-19, this coffee community faced some big challenges that destroyed some of the crops we purchased and donated to them last year.
So to ensure, this project is a success, we are back supporting them, replenishing crops that were destroyed, buying an additional 2 hectares of land, fertiliser for the whole 6 hectares of land, additional coffee seedlings and sunflowers to they can earn additional money from the land while they are establishing the coffee plantation.
Cocagi have been busy preparing the original 4 hectares of land (including weeding, purchasing liquid organic fertilizer and mulching) before planting 7318 coffee trees to ensure a healthy crop. They are now on track to plant the remaining 2,682 coffee trees by the end of January totalling 10,000 new coffee plants. They are still looking to secure the new 2 hectares of land which they have planned to use for both coffee and bananas, hopefully by our next report this will be secured and land preparation will be underway for this new addition!
As well as prepping the land and planting the coffee plants, the community have also been preparing the land to include sunflowers after severe weather destroyed the tomato crops last year. Plant diversification is very important to ensure that the women can secure an alternate source of income while the crops are being established. It also diversifies the risk of reliance on one crop and is an important aspect that is taught by Rainforest Alliance to these communities to ensure they can continually make money from the land and support their families.
As part of our support, we also invest in training for the Cocagi Femme who together with the support of Rainforest Alliance teach the community about leadership, gender equality, trade and marketing of their coffee. We also funded the cost of two female agronomists to assist the farming project. An agronomist are plant and soil scientists who work with the cooperative on the most up-to-date farming practices to boost crop yields while managing weeds, pest control and working in alignment with the surrounding environment.
As we have seen, no project is free from challenges like unpredictable weather, but so far, the project is moving forward without any issues. Thank you to our customers for buying St Remio. Your support is allowing us to fund this community and empower them in business and support their families. Coffee is the lifeline of many communities and your support will ensure that these communities can thrive and we can enjoy coffee for years to come.
Thank you to Rainforest Alliance for their support in this project too. This is a partnership we are so proud to be aligned with.
