Articles
We Lost USAID Funding, but We’re Keeping the Work Alive
What would you do if you had the chance to apply to the US government for a $4 million grant? Back in 2010, we had this chance, and frankly, we were on the fence. After serious deliberation, we decided to apply. As a result, for almost 15 years, we managed farmer-focused development projects, directing resources and programming to small farmer co-ops and their members, with undeniably positive results. We were poised to implement the next wave of this work until, in February this year, the US government abruptly terminated USAID awards like ours.
Walking the “K’ojolaa” Coffee Trail
On the shores of Lake Atitlán, in the southwestern highlands of Sololá, Guatemala, a promising new cooperative initiative is beginning to take root. The “Coffee Tour K’ojolaa,” is an ecotourism project that was envisioned, planned, and organized by ten Tz’utujil Mayan youth in the small town of San Pedro La Laguna. Ranging in ages from 23-28, the project’s creators are members (or the sons and daughters of members) of Adenisa, a local, small-scale coffee cooperative.
USAID Cooperative Development Program
Equal Exchange began this project in 2010 with the goal of strengthening its supply chain partners and engaging with them in new and innovative ways, focusing on cooperative improvements in productivity levels, quality and capitalization through member education and equity.
Interview: Supporting Youth in Agriculture at Manduvira Cooperative
Manduvira Cooperative in Paraguay is world-renowned for being the first sugar mill owned and run by an agricultural cooperative. In addition to the co-op’s pressing worries about climate change, Manduvira also faces the challenge of an aging farming population. The cooperative is making a concerted effort to include youth in their work to come up with climate change mitigation strategies.