Promoting a Strong, Resilient Coffee Supply Chain One Smallholder Farmer at a Time

The coffee supply chain is unique, both in how it is managed and its broad global nature. With such massive scope and scale, one might think coffee beans are grown on large, industrial agricultural operations. In fact, most coffee beans are grown by farmers who operate relatively small farms in key coffee-growing regions around the world. As a responsible coffee manufacturer, we have long supported these small local farmers, who often rely on coffee as their sole source of income, by investing in agricultural training and resources that help ensure their livelihood while securing the longterm viability of the coffee supply chain.

We have supported this commitment through many initiatives, including establishing relationships with partner organizations like Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS), coffee&climate (c&c), TechnoServe and others that provide direct training to farmers, facilitating the development of a more resilient and sustainable smallholder coffee farming landscape. These trainings focus on key objectives, including:

• Developing farmer organizations that offer better access to markets, financial information and economic tools;
• Improving coffee productivity in an environmentally friendly way;
• Increasing climate change adaptability;
• Addressing gender equity and youth engagement; and
• Expanding learnings to sustain results long-term.

One such project coordinated by HRNS focuses on supporting the smallholder coffee landscape in Southern Sumatra, Indonesia – a key robusta coffee-growing region.

Our Director of Sustainability, Rebecca Ott, recently traveled to Indonesia with a small contingent of Smucker and HRNS employees to connect with the trainers and farmers who are engaged in this important work. Rebecca gave us a glimpse at what this experience was like, what she learned along the way and how it has inspired continued progress.

Experiencing the Southern Sumatra Smallholder Coffee Farmer Initiative in Indonesia

Our two-week trip started in Ohio and took us all the way to Bandar Lampung, Indonesia. Once we arrived, we had a seven-hour drive to the coffee-growing region in Sumatra where Smucker has supported farmers for 10 years. We were guided by our partners at HRNS, who set everything up and ensured we were able to meet not only their locally established trainers, but also the smallholder farmers who have been most impacted by our investment.

The sheer volume of different projects underway, along with the incredibly innovative sustainable agriculture techniques these farmers are engaged in, was truly inspiring. There are too many to name, but a few that come to mind include:

• Producing liquid smoke as a cost-effective, natural insecticide alternative. Liquid smoke is created by low burning of readily available organic material like rice husks and other waste.
• Income diversification and increased engagement from women through mushroom farming. We visited a group of local women who have increased their skills, improved access to healthy foods and achieved additional income by starting mushroom cultivation businesses.
• Establishing tree nurseries to increase biodiversity and availability to additional crops. To date, HRNS has set up 45 community-based nurseries offering over 214,000 tree seedlings to farmers spread across 29 villages. These seedlings included not just coffee, but other crops like avocado, cinnamon and papaya to help farmers diversify their income.

All the work we support in this region, from the various sustainable agriculture projects to the training and education programs, is being done with an eye toward the future. The team has achieved incredible results so far, from training over 17,000 individuals on sustainable agriculture practices to helping increase yield by an average of 20%. But what is most encouraging is that all parties involved, from our partners to the farmers themselves, are constantly thinking about new ways to better secure the future of coffee. We are immensely proud of their efforts and humbled to engage in such critical work!