As we approach the middle of the year, coffee-farming communities in Latin America brace themselves for the “thin months”—a period of seasonal hunger that strikes annually between harvests. This year, the situation is particularly dire due to an ongoing drought that has exacerbated the already precarious conditions faced by these communities.
The “thin months,” or “los meses flacos,” typically span from April to September. During this time, many coffee-farming families experience a significant drop in income as their primary source of livelihood, the coffee harvest, comes to an end. With limited income, they struggle to afford basic necessities, including food. This seasonal hardship is a reality for many coffee farmers, but this year’s drought has made the situation even more challenging.
Luis Jimenez provides technical assistance to beekeepers at the ACODIHUE coffee co-op.
Luis Jimenez, manager of the ACODIHUE coffee cooperative in Guatemala, one of Food 4 Farmers’ partner co-ops, shares, “It’s going to be a difficult season for producers. It only started raining this week, and usually it rains in May, which causes the coffee to bloom. Without the rain, we are expecting a drop in the volume of coffee for the next harvest. On top of that, the price of coffee dropped to 25 cents per pound of green coffee, which is lower than last year, and this is going to affect the availability of families to access food and get ready for the coffee harvest.”
Rigoberto Hernandez, from the CESMACH co-op adds, “Right now, we are in discussions at the cooperative and other agencies because the next few months until the next coffee harvest are going to be very difficult for producing families. The dry season was two months longer than usual, causing many water sources to dry out. The water spring we use to water the tree nursery dried out, and we had to go to the river to bring water to the trees. We definitely lost some trees, and many families lost food crops.”
Willye Urizar and Uribe Guzman from Tenamaste, our implementation consultants in Guatemala, highlight additional challenges: “There was a much longer dry season, and the temperatures rose to extreme levels. Because it was so dry and hot, plants had fewer blooms than usual. At this time of year, we plant grains and vegetables, but they didn’t get the water needed, and a significant percentage died or got infected with mites. For diversified producers, it is not as bad because the system keeps moisture and the soils are better prepared for this.”
Tenamaste provides training on spiral gardening, a sustainable agriculture practice that creates internal "currents" that enhance interactions between soil, water, wind, and pollination dynamics.
In response to these challenges, Food 4 Farmers has been working closely with our co-op partners and local organizations to implement strategies that help mitigate the impact of the thin months. These strategies include diversifying farms with alternative income sources such as beekeeping. Beekeeping has proven to be a more drought-resistant lifeline, providing both income and family nutrition through the honey produced.
In addition to beekeeping, we are collaborating with Tenamaste to provide training on a collection of practices known as “water planting.” These practices focus on protecting and enhancing the farm’s water sources. By learning how to manage water more effectively, farmers can improve their resilience to drought conditions, ensuring that both coffee and supplemental crops have the water they need to thrive.
Farmers from the ACODIHUE co-op plant seeds in their home gardens to mitigate the seasonal hunger affecting their communities.
Despite these efforts, the road ahead remains challenging. The impact of the drought underscores the urgent need for continued support and innovative solutions to address food insecurity in coffee-farming communities. This is why initiatives like our sustaining donor program are so important. By becoming a sustaining donor, you can help provide the resources needed to support these communities through the thin months and beyond.
Your support can help us expand our programs, providing more families with the tools, knowledge, and resources they need to build resilience against climate change and economic instability. Together, we can help ensure that coffee farmers across Latin America have the support they need to thrive, even in the face of adversity.
Join us in making a difference. Support Food 4 Farmers and help us bring resilience and hope to coffee-farming communities during their most challenging times.
