José's Story

 

José Urley Flórez is a 40-year-old farmer and one of 1,100 farmers who form part of a cooperative. Even though José has always made a living out of growing coffee, it wasn't until recently that he has been able to own pigs, hens, and cows, which provide him with the basic food and natural fertilizer he needs to continue growing organic coffee, just as he has been doing for two years now.

"I never had money to buy animals and thanks to the cooperative's food security project I now have the basic food and fertilizer I need for the coffee, as I no longer use chemicals"

Like him, a further 400 farmers received the basic package of the food security program that includes 7 chickens, 7 hens, 7 kilos of corn, and the same quantity of beans, in order to turn the farms into integral granges that have a basic level of self-sufficiency, and at the same time improve the farmers economic conditions.

                 

This is one of the newest projects and the list of benefits they have attained, supported on the fact that their coffee is Fairtrade certificate, is long term. Technical support to improve the conditions of the beneficiate, improvement in housing, construction of roads, large discounts in medical and dental services, improved literacy and basic education for adults, funeral insurances and training on agricultural techniques for the young community members, among other services that they could not afford by themselves.