Indigenous-led Reforestation in Colombia
HOST ORGANIZATIONS
COMEPCAFE
LOCATION
Cauca, Colombia
AMOUNT
$20,000
REACH
2,000 farmers and community members
16,875 trees and supporting plants
ABOUT THE PROJECT
COMEPCAFE is a coffee cooperative of 1,400 indigenous small-scale coffee farmers in the northern mountains of Cauca, Colombia. Most farmers and their families are isolated, and vulnerable to natural disasters such as landslides and social disruptions that threaten their food security. Because they cook with wood, significant areas of this mountainous region have been deforested.
We teamed up with COMEPCAFE and Food 4 Farmers to build a new tree nursery and plant 16,875 trees-- hardwoods, bananas and plantains, bamboo and fruit trees--for food production, shading coffee plants, and increasing water conservation for 150 families.
By planting diverse agroforestry systems on their home gardens, COMEPCAFE farmers are restoring deforested land, improving food security, adding a new source of income, and increasing farm biodiversity.
