Problem

Throughout the developing world, rural villagers scratch out a living within or on the edges of critical ecosystems. In a state of chronic economic desperation, they often pursue short-term moneymaking strategies that irreparably damage both the natural environment where they live and their own future economic prospects. In Mexico, profound price crises in the coffee industry have also resulted in vast emigration, which destroys the solidarity and stability of those remaining.

The Gift

Farming doesn’t always have to stress the environment. When conducted with innovative technology and techniques, it can benefit both the environment and economy.

The coffee cooperative La Unión de Huatusco is one of Mexico’s leading farmer-owned cooperatives with over 1,000 members who farm densely forested mountains in symbiosis with the natural vegetation of the cloud forests. These forests represent wide biodiversity of trees and other flora, which provide the habitat for diverse wildlife.

Your gift would support Huatusco, a fair-trade organization that actively promotes environmentally sustainable agricultural practices through technological innovation. The cooperative has transformed its processing plants into state-of-the-art milling facilities that significantly reduce water and diesel-fuel consumption during processing. They have virtually eliminated water consumption in milling and the diesel fuel for the drying process, avoiding the river pollution of less sustainable methods.