Daniel’s transformation – and that of hundreds of other farmers – is supported by Amazonia Connect, a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Solidaridad, Earth Innovation Institute, the National Wildlife Federation, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Amazonia Connect seeks to accelerate the shift towards low-emissions production practices that conserve biodiversity, and reduce deforestation in regions that supply raw materials to national and international markets. Daniel, through his work, connects public and private efforts to drive change in the sustainable production and consumption of agricultural products.
“When the project arrived, I was planting coffee ‘in broom,’ as we say,” says Daniel.
In this traditional method, the seedlings are uprooted and all soil is removed from the roots before planting; It’s simple, but a high proportion of the trees don’t survive. Today, Daniel has improved his practices dramatically with 2,000 coffee plants grown with advice from the extension officers, including training on plant germination and development and other production techniques.
TEAMING UP WITH AMAZONIA CONNECT
In collaboration with the USAID Regional Environmental Program for the Amazon, Amazonia Connect promoted the adoption of low-carbon agriculture and the sustainable production of commodities in Colombia, Brazil and Peru by working with producers, companies, local government, and financial institutions. Daniel is one of the first producers to join the programme in the department of Caquetá, a biodiversity hotspot in the Amazon Basin. (The Amazonia Connect initiative was canceled in 2025 in its third year of implementation when USAID was phased out.)
“We like Amazonia Connect because they support us in the treatment of diseases in crops, which has convinced us to join in,” says Daniel.
TAKING ACTION FOR LIFE ON THE PLANET
Low carbon agriculture is an approach that seeks to adapt agricultural systems to make them more resilient to climate change. Its objectives include reducing or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions, reducing deforestation, and increasing farm productivity and income.
“There is a big difference with how I grow seedlings now. I planted some coffee with bare roots to use as a reference. In the old way, there are some that have just begun to flower, they are uneven: some large, others small. Using the new process, the cultivation is all very even, very beautiful.”
With pride and the conviction that his work contributes to a wider adoption of low-carbon agriculture, Daniel sees potential in his region for the development of coffee cultivation. As one of the first promoters in the programme, he points out that now the challenge is to strengthen marketing. The proof is in the success of two other producers he worked with who started from scratch and now have cultivated 4,000 coffee plants.
WITH INITIATIVE COMES INERTIA
“For me, being a promoter is a responsibility, both with the project and with the people. You need to be patient, because working with communities is hard. Not everyone is going to be happy,” Daniel says.
Daniel is determined to continue learning and improving, because he has seen the progress on his farm. Daniel believes that with proper management and alliance building, coffee from the region will grow stronger and begin to gain recognition on the commercial side.
“My message to farmers who have land suitable for growing coffee in Caquetá is that we must continue, we must plant, we must produce. We do have productive lands and we should realize their full potential.”
ABOUT AMAZONIA CONNECT
Amazonia Connect was a partnership between USAID, Solidaridad, Earth Innovation Institute, National Wildlife Federation, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Together with USAID’s Amazon Regional Environment Program, producers, companies, local governments and financial institutions, Amazonia Connect promotes and scales the adoption of low-emission commodity production to improve biodiversity conservation and climate resilience in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The initiative was canceled in 2025 in its third year of implementation when USAID was phased out.
