Small Farmers. Big Change.

… continued from the previous post.

 

 

In 1994 the organization was legally registered as a civil society association under the name “Ecological Farmers of the Sierra Madre of Chiapas” (CESMACH).  Then, in 1996, they obtained their first certification of organic processes and products from the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) and, in that same year, they were able to begin selling organic coffee to the United States. Eventually, in the year 2000, Cesmach was accepted as a Fair Trade member, having complied with the criteria established for small coffee-producing cooperatives by Max Havelaar. Currently, Cesmach is organically certified in accordance with the National Organic Program (NOP) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and following the guidelines established by the European Union.  It also has Fair Trade certification with FLO International.

1999 was an important year for Cesmach because the organization carried out both internal and external development via a process of priority analysis which helped the group identify strategies that would allow for the cooperative to continue on and to grow in the region, by paying closer attention to urgent needs and by searching for alliances and allies that share the organization’s objectives and needs. Cesmach analyzed basic elements such as access to financing, integrated product quality improvement, increase in the number of producer members in order to create an economic, social and environmental impact, internal capitalization, acquisition of infrastructure and equipment, etc.

Cesmach’s offices and coffee storage warehouse.

 

The cooperative today

Today Cesmach is well-established as a true cooperative that is active and that serves as a tool for its associated small-coffee producers. It is primarily dedicated to searching for solutions and to making proposals in response to the complex set of problems faced by the small coffee producers and their communities. The following chart provides some information on the evolution of this organized group:

 

 

In 2006, CESMACH went through a second internal analysis and strategic planning process, designed to update the co-operatives’ objectives and goals in the framework of a new market reality and changes in the organization to include greater participation from the producer-members, the communities, former leadership from committee members, and the employees.  

Sustainable coffee farm

Currently Cesmach is organized into operational departments (production, commercialization, administration and accounting, commercialization and community development). The important activities of this social business are grouped into programs that are described below.

Collecting pergamino coffee in the farmers’ warehouse.

 

Sustainable coffee program

The goal of this program is to systematize and carry out production activities, to oversee investment, and to improve the processing and marketing of the organization’s coffee while maintaining ecological standards and a highly-responsible social ethic. A component that was incorporated in 2005 was conservation of the biodiversity, going beyond the farms and looking at that which has the greatest impact on conservation: El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve’s flora and fauna. The result is a coffee that has a tremendous impact on its communities of origin with regards to social, economic, and natural resources.

A visit from Equal Exchange, one of our primary allies in promoting sustainable coffee.

 

 

Project to enter domestic coffee market

In order to give the coffee a greater added value and to offer a high-quality product to the Mexican consumer, in 2006 the cooperative acquired the necessary equipment to roast, grind and package its coffee. This is a new project, and one in which relatively little investment has been made, but it is already self-sustaining. However, for it to move to a larger scale, significant investments would need to be made in infrastructure, training, promotion and product development.

 

Roasted and ground coffee for the Mexican market

 

Community development program

Since its inception, Cesmach has sought to address other social aspects outside of the coffee supply chain, including the areas of education, food supply, women’s organization, health, etc. However, it was not until 2007 that the Community Development Program was created as a way to provide on-going attention to these social issues—issues that are very important not only in and of themselves but also to the process of being competitive in the existing supply and demand of local coffee production. Some of the projects and actions that have been implemented through this program are highlighted below.  In addition to internal resources through the sales of coffee and funds acquired through the Fair Trade premium, these projects have also received additional financial support through the non-profit organization, Heifer International, as well as the coffee companies, Green Mountain and Equal Exchange.

 

Food Security & Product Diversification:

Diversification of fruit tree production

Through this project, crops now include gardens and sub tropical fruit trees—peaches, macadamia, citrus, Hass avocados, and apples. The hope is that this will improve the family diet and generate additional income in the future through the sale of the excess production.

Delivery of fruit trees for the product diversification project.

 

Project to establish organic hen- and egg-production modules

The primary goal of this project is to provide locally-produced poultry and eggs in order to improve family nutrition, generate additional income and to strengthen the economy for those communities affiliated with the organization.

Backyard hen project

 

Building our Future project

The goal of this project is to incorporate animal and vegetable production in order to strengthen the economy and family food supply for farmers—a model that can eventually be replicated in a chain-like manner (transference of the support received by the initial beneficiaries to a second generation of beneficiaries).  This proposal is based on the idea that the community will carry out other activities beyond the production of coffee, to include backyard animals, organic gardens, ecological beekeeping, fisheries, production of edible mushrooms and on-going training.

Food Security Program activities (organic gardening, backyard animals, edible mushrooms, fisheries, honey production, capacity building, etc.)

 

Rescuing Local Species

Project to rescue native species

The goal of this project is to encourage the protection, propagation and cultivation of regional vegetable species such as xate palm and pacaya (the first is ornamental and the second is a food item) as well as the tree tomato (which provides an edible fruit)—establishing the plants in nurseries and then transferring them to the coffee fields to create living barriers or to the spaces that are adjacent to the coffee plots.

The rescue of local species: the tree tomato, the pacaya and the xate palm

 

Strengthening social fabric and environmental education

The organization seeks to strengthen the community’s skills, to establish a greater cohesion among the members, and to raise awareness about the conservation and protection of natural resources from a community perspective.

 

Participatory workshops on values and human development

 

Goals and expectations

In the immediate future, Cesmach is trying to find ways to respond to its growing membership, which includes a growing number of families and increased potential for sales value. There is an economic impact on the families, a conservation impact because of the increased number of hectares that are being planted, and the region as a whole is impacted. This leads us to face the challenge of finding solutions to our most serious deficiencies of financing, training, technical assistance in quality control, and a social commitment to explore together ways to respond to the social needs that are increasingly diverse every day.

We must also take into consideration the fact that there is greater competition in the niche market, including private companies that have much greater economic capacity, which makes the panorama seem more competitive and complex.

In the medium- and long-term, Cesmach represents the possibility to consolidate a farmer development model. There is no doubt that there has been an increased participation by the family in all areas of the production chain and in the activities and projects and has helped to generate greater viability.

The incorporation of family members is a valuable element—beyond the producer members there should be participation by the women and the children as well as future generations so that, in the future, they will be able to take over and direct the cooperative as they look to meet the primary objectives for which the organization was created.

 “Our commitment is a better tomorrow for everyone.”