HAMBURG – The initiative for coffee&climate (c&c) launched the new c&c toolbox, an interactive web app on climate-smart coffee cultivation for smallholder coffee farmers and agronomists worldwide. It is free of charge, interactive, and comes in different languages: to know more click here.
Climate change impacts, such as prolonged droughts, heavier rains, more pests and diseases, and lower yields threaten coffee production worldwide. Smallholder coffee farmers around the globe, who cover 80% of global production, are facing unprecedented challenges. In response to these challenges and the needs of coffee farmers, the c&c has developed the new toolbox together with farmers, agronomic experts and researchers to bridge the gap between science and farmer know-how.
Increased access to digital tools
Smallholder farmers constitute by far the largest group of actors in the coffee sector. To make coffee production climate-smart it is crucial to understand the needs of those millions of men and women. What do they need? What helps them?
“Farming communities have increased access to digital tools”, says Victor Komakech, Climate Change Coordinator at Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Uganda. “We are working with a lot of young people who want to farm as business, and they are very interested to use digital tools.”
Accessible via smartphone, tablet, and laptop, even in low-bandwidth areas, the new c&c toolbox offers climate-smart coffee practices, so-called “tools”, in the form of easy-to-use step-by-step instructions. Farmers find practical instructions for the climate change impacts on their farm in the form of graphics, short videos and descriptions in local languages. Extensionists get valuable insights in a dedicated trainer section to support farmers in achieving climate-smart coffee production.
Go-to knowledge hub
The new c&c toolbox is a go-to knowledge hub that combines known practices and innovative methods to effectively tackle climate change. It aims at climate-smart coffee cultivation, fostering resilience against climate impacts while nurturing biodiversity, promoting reforestation, and ensuring farmers’ livelihoods.
“In order to have a liable and thriving future, farmers need to move away from outdated practices to innovative and adaptive approaches“, says Stefan Ruge, Program Manager coffee&climate. “We are building capacity in the coffee sector by empowering farmers with the knowledge and resources they need, and by sharing the coffee&climate toolbox as a public good“.
The new c&c toolbox places great emphasis on inclusivity ensuring global accessibility regardless of age, gender, or education level. It will continue to evolve based on farmer know-how and latest scientific insights.
Collaborative efforts for a sustainable future
The c&c toolbox is backed by the initiative for coffee&climate (c&c), a global group of action driven coffee companies together with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Kathrine Löfberg, c&c Chairperson and Chair of Löfbergs Sweden, says: “The launch of the new c&c toolbox marks a crucial step in helping smallholder coffee farmers adapt to the challenges of climate change – a milestone that could only be achieved through the collaborative efforts of the c&c members working together for a sustainable future.”
Watch the recording of the launch of the c&c toolbox here:
