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The Asia Tea Alliance is reshaping the future of the tea sector. At its 2024 annual summit in India, the Alliance trained its focus on sustainable practices, innovative agriculture, and expansion into new markets. The Alliance aims to revitalize the global tea industry, and secure a prosperous future for tea producers and consumers alike.
Solidaridad’s Rachel Wanyoike examines how Kenyan tea farmers are poised for greater success with the government’s commitment to value addition. A new initiative is designed to increase incomes, create jobs, and enhance the global reputation of Kenyan tea. By embracing modern practices and tapping into the growing demand for specialty teas, farmers can significantly elevate their livelihoods.
Numerous stakeholders gathered in India at a recent conference to highlight palm oil’s potential to help the country achieve self-sufficiency in edible oils, with many speakers promoting sustainable palm oil emphasizing the crop’s high yields compared to other oil crops and its economic benefits for farmers.
Small tea growers from Mozambique have won first place in the Emerging Specialty Tea category at the African Specialty Tea Conference and Expo in Kenya. The meeting of tea producers from across Africa was an opportunity for small tea farmers to connect with global markets, and the award highlighted the potential of teas from Mozambique.
Green leaf tea, produced by smallholders, accounts for more than 50 percent of India’s total tea production. Even when grappling with newer challenges like the effects of climate change, they continue to face the quality, safety and livelihood issues that have long plagued the tea sector in India and abroad. SoliTrace, a traceability technology solution, is designed to support these tea growers who are often marginalized in the tea value chain.
With oil palm farming in decline in Nigeria, the Cross River State is sowing the seeds of opportunity. In response to the country’s overreliance on crude oil revenues, this state is looking to develop a roadmap in order to sustainably revitalize its agricultural sector through high-value crops like oil palm, cocoa and coffee.
Solidaridad has partnered with BASF to support coffee growers through their ongoing Kajve initiative. The collaboration aims to continue improving adoption of sustainable farming practices, facilitate knowledge sharing, and foster climate-resilient coffee production through innovative and Nature-based Solutions. Explore the potential impact of these collaborative efforts on the future of coffee production in Mexico.
The Boosting Agriculture and Food Security project in Sierra Leone wrapped up with a ceremony to celebrate the opening of the country’s first modern cashew processing facility. As part of a larger project that focused on cashew, cocoa and coffee value chains, the new factory will create jobs for women and youth, boost cashew production, and improve the livelihoods of cashew processors and farmers.
Solidaridad’s RECLAIM Sustainability! programme is collaborating with Malawi tea producers as they face new challenges and prepare to transform the country’s tea sector. Through technology and automation, Malawi hopes to inspire other southern African countries as it makes plans to implement a comprehensive tea sector overhaul.
Featured Producer Stories
Arquímedes Ramírez, a Colombian coffee farmer, has witnessed firsthand the transformation of his region from deforestation to sustainable coffee production. Through Amazonia Connect, a partnership dedicated to promoting low-emission commodity production, Arquímedes has learned new farming techniques and gained access to higher-quality markets. As a community leader, he has inspired others to adopt sustainable practices and contribute to the preservation of the Amazon rainforest.
To improve the position of women in coffee production, while innovating coffee production itself, is a daunting task in conservative Honduras, but Angélica Paz, full of energy and optimism, is up to the challenge. Angélica is a project manager at a Honduran coffee cooperative, Las Capucas, that works closely with Solidaridad and Fairfood through the RECLAIM Sustainability! programme.
Indonesia’s small-scale tea farmers face ongoing challenges due to climate change and competition. Fortunately, a recent initiative, Teh nDeso, is promoting sustainable practices and has helped small farmers to connect directly with consumers. The results have been impressive. With creative branding, QR codes with informative videos, and partnerships with local tea stalls and cafes, sales have risen from 5-10 tonnes to over 150 tonnes per year, and average incomes have increased by 15-25 percent.