🇨🇴Colombia

Smallholder associations participating in CRS Borderlands

Smallholder associations participating in the CRS Borderlands project are groups of coffee farmers in the Nariño department of Colombia. These producers work collectively to improve coffee quality and access specialty markets. Through the Borderlands initiative, these farmers transitioned from individual production to organized, quality-focused groups.

TagsSmallholder associations participating in CRS Borderlands Colombia Caturra Castillo

History

The CRS Borderlands project was established to address market failures in Nariño, where many farmers previously lacked access to quality premiums. Starting around 2012, the project implemented baseline surveys and partnered with CIAT to introduce scientific rigor and agroecological parameters to coffee production. By 2017, the project concluded, leaving behind independent organizations like Federación Abades that continue to market coffee collectively.

The farmer's day, in pictures

Editorial illustrations of the harvest and farm work our research documented — anonymous figures, never real likenesses.