LONDON, United Kingdom/ARLINGTON, Virginia, United States – The International Coffee Organization (ICO) and the Sustainable Coffee Challenge are pleased to announce the publication of the Guide to Access Green and Climate Funding for the Coffee Sector: The Global Environment Facility (GEF).
This new Guide seeks to assist governments of coffee-producing countries to access Global Environmental Facility (GEF) funding in order to address coffee sector challenges. The GEF, in its new four-year replenishment cycle GEF-7 with an allocation of US$4.1 billion, has included coffee in the list of commodities eligible for funding.
GEF-7 thereby provides an invaluable opportunity for countries to prioritize investments in development programmes that will not only enable sustainable coffee production, but also have a positive impact on nature conservation, as well on the livelihoods of coffee-producing communities.
“Actors from across the sector need to drive investments to help ensure the continued sustainability of coffee production in light of the pressing challenges presented by climate change,” said José Sette, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization.
“To date coffee projects received just US$32.8 million GEF funds, representing less than 0.2% of the total GEF funding pot, and US$223 million in co-financing. The coffee sector needs to take full advantage of such financing mechanisms and act swiftly to unlock green and climate finance by promoting practices, strategies and enablers for a climate resilient coffee supply chain and economy”.
“The opportunity of GEF-7 is extremely timely for the global coffee sector, as nearly every major coffee-producing landscape is under stress due to the impact of climate change”, said Bambi Semroc, Vice-President for Sustainable Markets and Strategy at Conservation International.
“Rising temperatures, droughts and changing weather patterns are predicted to reduce the overall land suitable for growing coffee by 50%. As traditional growing areas decrease, farmers may look to plant coffee in protected locations situated in biodiversity hotspots, such as forested areas located higher up on mountainsides that are designated for conservation”.
To address such complex challenges, Conservation International convenes and facilitates the Sustainable Coffee Challenge – an industry-wide effort to spur the actions and investments necessary to make coffee the first sustainable agriculture product in the world. The Guide to Access Green and Climate Funding for the Coffee Sector: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the outcome of the partnership between the International Coffee Organization and the Sustainable Coffee Challenge, formalized at the 121st Session of the International Coffee Council held in April this year in Mexico City.
The Guide can be accessed here and printed copies will be distributed at the 122nd Session of the International Coffee Council which will take place from 17 to 21 September in London, United Kingdom. Both Organizations will be developing further support guides on international financing opportunities to help drive investments in the coffee sector to address the global impact of climate change.
