VOCAL, A Freshly-Ground Alliance For A Sustainable Coffee Sector – CoffeeTalk

On International Coffee Day, VOCAL, the Voice of Organisations in Coffee Alliance, presents a network of civil society organizations to highlight the urgent need for action on issues facing the coffee sector. Rikolto, along with other organizations like Coffee Watch, Fairfood, Fern, Forests of the World, Inkota Netzwerk, Oxfam Belgium, Public Eye, and Ethos Agriculture, is one of the co-founders of the VOCAL alliance.

The alliance points to the benefits of forthcoming regulations (EUDR, CSDDD, CSRD, and the Green Claims Directive) and refutes some dubious claims. It urges the sector to catch up and step up compliance rather than backtrack. The alliance also calls on the EU to not bow to pressure to reopen negotiations on the regulation and provide support to smallholders.

Regulations bring significant benefits for the planet, farmers, and coffee companies alike, aiming to curb deforestation, ensure human rights protections, and compel companies to commit to a living income for smallholders, improving the sector’s overall sustainability and resilience. However, the industry response is too little, too late. The coffee sector has been slow to engage in key discussions on implementation, resulting in a lack of comprehensive strategies for operating under these new regulations. Issues such as accountability, traceability, cost coverage, and the credibility of sustainability claims remain unresolved.

A reliable regulatory framework is the missing link, providing clear guidance, robust support, and reliable compliance tools. A regulatory environment that demands compliance must provide financial and technical support to enable smallholders to comply. The key lies in a scenario where private sector commitments, international policies, multistakeholder collaboration, and financial assistance converge to embrace smallholder coffee producers.

Rikolto, a global coffee producer and consumer organization, is working to build a sustainable and inclusive coffee sector. The company’s Sustainable Cocoa and Coffee programme focuses on three interlinked aspects: sustainable production, market inclusion, and an enabling environment. The approach has shifted from focusing on coffee production and value chains to a systemic approach that integrates social, environmental, and economic factors, considering the resilience and prosperity of coffee-producing communities.

In Uganda, the “Change Brewing” project aims to promote low-carbon coffee in Robusta growing areas by providing training in regenerative agriculture, distributing shade tree seedlings for agroforestry, improving soil health through biochar and bioslurry innovations, creating VSLAs, and establishing youth groups to implement climate-smart practices. In the DR Congo, coffee cooperatives and their members have built resilience while contributing to environmental conservation and creating new economic opportunities.

In Ecuador and Peru, Rikolto supports sustainable practices through various initiatives, including training programs on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and agroforestry system design for technicians, producers, and farmer leaders. In Peru, over 160 producers, technicians, and managers have attended workshops to apply the EU’s Due Diligence on Deforestation.

In Ecuador, Rikolto has been involved in technical discussions with the government on the EU’s zero deforestation regulations and supports MSMEs and producer associations that want to bring their sustainable products, including coffee, to the European market. In Honduras, Rikolto worked with the Ministry of Agriculture to improve access to financial services for coffee producers, and participated in the Economic Sustainability Committee of the Sustainable Coffee Platform.

In Belgium, Rikolto actively lobbied for changes in EU legislation, particularly the forthcoming Due Diligence Regulation, to ensure responsible sourcing throughout the supply chain. They also promoted the concept of a living income for farmers as part of a sustainable food system.

In Indonesia, Rikolto has been supporting the Koerintji Barokah Bersama cooperative since 2017 to produce high-quality Kerinci speciality coffee and provide a living income for its members. This collaboration has shown that adopting sustainable practices and innovative techniques can increase yields and enhance the quality of coffee beans, leading to higher coffee prices and a more sustainable income.

Read More @ Rikolto