Costa Rica Sustainable Coffee Farming

Our friends at Rainforest Alliance recently announced a very exciting collaboration Nestle Nespresso. They have come together to help reduce the environmental impact and increase the social benefits of coffee cultivation in tropical regions throughout the world. Jessica Webb of Rainforest Alliance sums up its direct value to Costa Rica, “One of the most significant impacts is that Nespresso will be sourcing primarily from small farms, so thousands of small producers will benefit directly from this large international alliance. It will help conserve acres of sustainably managed land and surrounding ecosystems, plus the employment and help benefits that will accrue to thousands of workers.”

The farms will meet guidelines for farming that integrate the three spheres of sustainability: economic viability, environmental conservation and social justice.The Rainforest Alliance and other nonprofit groups formed the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) in the early 90’s to develop the aforementioned guidelines and have since helped thousands of farmers adopt them on farms growing a variety of crops in 22 tropical countries.

During years of fieldwork in coffee-growing areas, specialists in sustainable farm management from the Rainforest Alliance and the SAN joined with coffee quality experts from Nespresso to explore every detail of farm and mill management, and to identify social and environmental improvements. The resulting comprehensive program is called “Ecolaboration.

Farms that are certified in this new, innovative program have to comply with a wide variety of standards covering all aspects of sustainable farming, including soil and water conservation, protection of wildlife and forests, and ensuring that farm workers, women and children have all the proper rights and benefits, such as good wages, clean drinking water, access to schools and healthcare and security.

“The happy marriage of sustainability and quality proves the importance of an integrated approach, one that results in benefits for farmers, wildlife, ecosystems and communities”, says Tensie Whelan, president of the Rainforest Alliance.

Richard Girardot, CEO of Nestle Nespresso concurs, “We want to share value with the farmers who grow these highly prized coffees. Their quality of life, environmental quality and quality in the cup are equally interlinked.”

The Nespresso program already boasts six million espresso aficionados. Their coffee comes in capsules that get popped into a special Nespresso machine. It’s a great marketing idea with coffee that tastes good, while making you feel good about supporting a sustainable quality program benefiting small coffee farmers in Costa Rica and around the world

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