Supporting farmers and their local school
About this project:
As part of our initial activities for 2023, we will be undertaking two projects: the 2023 Agricultural Training Program and improvements to the Campo Bello School. These projects have a dual mission of reducing poverty and improving the livelihoods of 500 smallholder farmers, their families, and communities.
Initiative #1: Campo Bello School Project
In addition, with your help we intend to carry out community development projects that target specific needs in education by providing essential supplies and infrastructure upgrades to Campobello school in the Huila community of Colombia. This community is home to 500 farmers and their families.
The school has requested support for the following purchases and upgrades:
- Educational materials, including materials for young children starting their education
- Furniture to store library books and materials
- Furniture for classrooms and library
- Sports & gym equipment for recreational activities
- Infrastructure upgrades for the library, including improving roofing and doors to fix leaks and overall improve the safety and comfort of the facilities
- Infrastructure upgrades to improve security for the schoolchildren
Here are a few videos our team took during our last visit to Huila in February 2023.
Initiative 2: Agricultural Training Program
The Agricultural Training Program aims to increase income levels for smallholder farmers by supporting them in producing higher quality coffee crops, thus gaining access to premium pricing. This will enable farmers to increase their income levels up to 240% above Fair Trade pricing. In collaboration with Progeny Coffee, we will organize quarterly agricultural training sessions throughout 2023.
The training objectives are:
1. Train farmers to enhance the quality of their coffee crops, resulting in a premium price from specialty coffee buyers, thus achieving our mission of reducing poverty within smallholder communities:
- - Starting with running soil samples, aiming to improve soil health using organic inputs, enhance crop quality, and promote carbon sequestration within the local ecosystem.
- - Train farmers on green coffee harvest and peeling practices, emphasizing equipment best practices to improve crop quality.
- - Teach farmers fermentation practices to produce specialty-grade coffee.
2. We have previously succeeded in reducing water consumption during the washing processes by up to +90%, while creating outstanding specialty coffee of 85+ points. With this initiative we're looking to further farmers' education on environmentally-friendly practices to reduce the negative impact of their farming activities on the local ecosystem, particularly water and agrochemical usage:
- - Improve water consumption and disposal practices
- - Train farmers on the best practices to reduce water usage during irrigation and washing processes
- - Increase the use of water filtration systems to recycle water
- - Decrease the disposal of polluted water into the local ecosystem.
3. Support farmers' compliance with the Beyond Trade Social and Environmental Standards:
- - Asses their overall conditions and alignment with our standards.
- - Support on implementing critical standards areas within the first week like eradicating child labor.
- - Develop a multi-year plan for each farmers to meet all standards
The program will mainly concentrate on standards 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.
Our honest thoughts
Although this is our first impact campaign, we've actually been working with and supporting farmers for 7 years now. During this time, we've gained a deep understanding of their needs and we know exactly where to bring long-lasting support to their community.
We've already filed with the IRS but are currently pending approval of our 501c3 status.
You Must Have Questions
What is Beyond Trade Impact Fund?
At Beyond Trade Impact Fund, we recognize the pressing need to restore support and dignity to coffee farmers. At Beyond Trade, we seek to address this issue by providing comprehensive assistance that goes beyond coffee cultivation, including improvements to living conditions, education, and the extension services that our platform currently provides. With your support, we hope to make a lasting impact that will benefit multiple generations of coffee farmers and their families.
Why choose Beyond Trade Impact Fund?
The Beyond Trade team hails from smallholder coffee farming communities in Colombia, and therefore, the issues confronting these communities are close to our hearts. We bring extensive agricultural training, expert knowledge of the specialty coffee industry, direct relationships with both coffee farmers and specialty buyers, and a deep understanding of the underlying systemic issues that create the poverty cycle for smallholder coffee farmers. What sets Beyond Trade apart is our ability to incorporate the needs and desires of the beneficiaries into the programs and activities we support, thanks to the trusting relationships we have built. These qualities make us uniquely positioned to achieve our goal of reducing poverty and improving livelihoods among smallholder coffee farmers.
How can I trust the support will go to the farmers?
We make a public pledge to utilize a minimum of 70% of all funds raised to support program activities that will directly benefit smallholder farmers, their families, and their communities. As part of our commitment to transparency and accountability, the Beyond Trade team will provide and publish detailed accounts of each program to our donors. Additionally, we will produce an annual impact report that summarizes our activities, includes testimonials, and provides data on the progress made by Beyond Trade programs throughout the year.
Still have questions?
Contact us with any question at hello@beyondtradeimpactfund.org.