The Starbucks Foundation and international non-profit TechnoServe have launched the Mujeres CAFÉ initiative, a new grant that will support leadership of Peruvian women.
Leveraging the work of the Coffee Alliance for Excellence (CAFE) program, a United States Agency for International Development initiative, Mujeres CAFÉ will work with 1300 women in coffee farming communities in the Peruvian regions of San Martín and Huánuco to develop their communications skills and take on a greater role in household and community decision-making.
“To create a sustainable future of coffee for all, we must care for the well-being of the farmers and communities that grow coffee, tea and cocoa around the world, and when we invest in women, we are also investing in her community,” says Michelle Burns, Starbucks Executive Vice President of Global Coffee, Social Impact and Sustainability and Board Member of The Starbucks Foundation.
According to TechnoServe, women administer approximately one quarter of Peru’s coffee farms, but these farms are typically less profitable than those run by men. Baseline data from CAFÉ shows that, on average, men earn 29 per cent more than women farmers overall and 45 pe cent more from coffee sales. Women-led farms face several obstacles to profiting equally from the coffee sector, including less access to land, agricultural training, and financing.
Working with six producer organisations, Mujeres CAFÉ aims to address these challenges by developing personal effectiveness, collective agency, and communication skills among women in coffee farming communities, using climate change resilience as a focus for collective action.
“Peru’s coffee sector has grown in recent years thanks to the hard work, perseverance, and entrepreneurial spirit of women farmers,” says Sergio López, Chief of Party for CAFÉ. “We are excited to partner with The Starbucks Foundation in launching the Mujeres CAFÉ initiative to help ensure that women coffee farmers are able to exercise their voices in their households and communities and profit equitably from their work.”
The program will also use participatory qualitative PhotoVoice methodology to evaluate the impact of the program. This methodology uses photography and storytelling to capture what participants consider to be the most significant changes in their lives as a result of the leadership activities.
The Mujeres CAFÉ initiative in Peru will contribute towards The Starbucks Foundation’s goal to positively impact one million women and girls in coffee, tea and cocoa growing communities around the world by 2030.
For more information, click here.
