550 small holders will benefit from GCP Brazil's training for Coomap
Continuous improvement on track!
GCP Brazil Program has been strengthening relationship with Coomap cooperative, while advancing on the monitoring and evaluation of sustainable practices (based on CSC and the Sustainability Indicators). A series of training has also started in May, to consolidate the use of the CSC by technicians and coffee farmers, and to promote continuous improvement on the field in partnership with Unifenas university. Both teams were trained on the CSC and worked to address regional coffee challenges through field exercises. Coomap’s technicians were also trained on how to use the CSC App to collect data and use the information strategically. The cooperative is also working to implement its Internal Management System (IMS), with support of the GCP Brazil team.
Coomap assists around 550 small holders in Paraguaçu, South of Minas Gerais, with a total output of 60,000 bags of coffee per year. The rural population represents 19% of the total inhabitants, with coffee accounting for 80% of the town’s agribusiness gross product.
‘Journey of Amazon Robustas’ took place in Rondônia
The Journey of Amazon Robustas took place in May in Rondônia state, gathering the state government, research entities, rural extension services and other coffee institutions. The main discussions focused on the creation of an identity for coffees grown in the region, on technology, sustainability and value for women working it the coffee chain. Two large events– The Fine Robustas International Workshop and the 1st Meeting of Rondonia’s Coffee Women (IWCA Brazil) – were part of the schedule with relevant speakers such as Ms. Sunalini Menon, who presented her experiences with fine Robustas held in Asia. Eduardo Sampaio of GCP Brazil Program was present, strengthening partnerships and discussing the main challenges of coffee production in Rondonia.
Rondônia is the 5th largest coffee growing state in Brazil, and one of the largest producers of Coffea canephora. Coffee production in the state has recently undergone positive transformations with the adoption of technologies that led to greater efficiencies on the field: productivity has grown 180%, while the areas with coffee suffered a 46% decrease over the past six years. Rondônia has also been recognized for its sustainable Robustas, grown by small holders with the support of research institutes, rural extension services and the GCP Brazil Program, which has already trained 200 agronomists, technicians and students on the Coffee Sustainability Curriculum (CSC).
Learn more about the Brazilian Platform here