Challenges in the Coffeelands

Coffee farmers face countless challenges out of their control that prevent them from feeding their families.

Volatile Coffee Market

The coffee market is notoriously volatile, with prices driven by global speculation, weather patterns, and shifting demand—factors far beyond farmers’ control. This instability often forces farmers to sell their coffee at prices too low to cover production costs, leaving many unable to adequately feed their families or invest in their futures.

Challenges in the Coffeelands

Gender Inequities

Women, who often play a central role in farming and family nutrition, face unequal access to education, resources, and decision-making opportunities, further compounding the food insecurity in their communities.

Gender inequities in coffee farming

High Food Prices

In coffee-farming communities, the abundance of unhealthy, processed foods—combined with the high cost and inaccessibility of fresh, nutritious options—leaves families with limited choices, exacerbating food insecurity and poor health outcomes.

High Food Prices in coffee farming communities

Lack of Farm Diversification

From what our farmers have to say to the hard numbers gathered by our monitoring and evaluation teams, our impact is both tangible and measurable.

Lack of Farm Diversification

Effects of Climate Change

The effects of climate change, including unpredictable weather, rising temperatures, and increased pests and diseases, are disrupting coffee yields and reducing farmers’ ability to sustain their livelihoods and access nutritious food.

The effects of Climate Change

So many more challenges…

Beyond these challenges, coffee-farming families face countless others, including inadequate access to education, limited healthcare, poor infrastructure, barriers to land ownership, and drug violence—all of which make it even harder to achieve stability, resilience, and a healthy future.

Even more challenges