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Brazil

Brazil

International Coffee Partners in Brazil

Brazil is known as one of the essential producers of coffee worldwide and with that come significant challenges for the smallholder coffee farmers in the region. Family farmers are representing 35 % of the national production. ICP focuses on these families to provide access to support services, markets, climate change adaptation practices, and more. Our project is located in the center of Brazil: Sul de Minas. This region is vital in the production of coffee for Brazil, so it only makes sense to address the challenges these farmers face.

We have implemented projects in several coffee-producing regions in Brazil since 2010. Click the following button to view all past projects and access the attached final reports.

Past ICP Projects in Central and South America

Current Project

Territorial Thrive – Advancing Livelihoods for Smallholder Farmers and Youth in Brazil

Location: Campo das Vertentes Region, situated in the southeast of Minas Gerais (Brazil)

Timeline: January 2024 – December 2026

Target # of participants: 1,300 smallholder farming families (50 % new participants) and 400 youth

Main project objective: Empower and improve the well-being of smallholder farming families and youth by strategically leveraging local resources and addressing their specific livelihood challenges.

Project Highlights

Territorial Livelihood Approach

  • Conduct a comprehensive landscape assessment focusing on soil health, water resources, biodiversity, and climate conditions within the coffee-producing area.
  • Promote agroforestry practices to enhance biodiversity, improve soil fertility, and explore additional income opportunities through the cultivation of complementary crops and payment for environmental services.
  • Develop strategies for biodiversity conservation, such as reforestation, establishment of wildlife corridors, and protection of natural habitats within the landscape.
  • Implement water conservation and management practices to ensure sustainable water use.
  • Empower local farming communities, focusing on gender inclusivity, through capacity-building programs, entrepreneurship training, and access to financial resources.
  • Disseminate best practices related to the establishment of a territorial livelihood approach.

Farming Families:

  • Promote income diversification as an option to augment the earnings of producing families and enhance their resilience.
  • Promote record keeping and offer financial literacy and farm management training to improve business planning, budgeting, and financial decision-making.
  • Advocate for the adoption of techniques aimed at controlling production costs and enhancing the knowledge of producer families on this subject.
  • Disseminate climate-smart agricultural practices (CSA), such as drought-resistant crops, biofertilizers, and soil conservation techniques.

Youth:

  • Develop programs to engage and empower youth in agriculture, showcasing the potential for innovation and entrepreneurship.
  • In collaboration with the Brazilian National Rural Learning Service (SENAR), provide vocational training and education programs tailored to the needs of young farmers, encouraging them to adopt modern and sustainable agricultural practices.

Achievements Since the First Project Started

3,954

Total households reached since 2001

54,178 ha

Impacted farmland in current phase

40 %

Adoption rate for Good Agricultural Practices in 2022

100 %

Climate-smart agricultural practices adoption rate in 2022

26 %

Rate of women in project activities and trainings in 2022

64

Number of supported farmer organizations in current phase