The sustainability landscape in the coffee sector

Combating poverty, ensuring peace and preserving the environment: these are the three major concerns of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation. ADA currently funds projects and programmes with a total volume of 500 million euros to improve living conditions in developing countries.

Together with the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (MFA), partner countries, public institutions, civil society organizations and businesses, ADA seeks to ensure that sustainable development works to the benefit of all people in Africa, Asia, Southeast Europe and the South Caucasus.

DONORS/PARTNERS:

The Austrian MFA allocates the ADA budget. Other federal ministries and donors like the EU draw on ADA’s expertise, too. Since 2008, the ADA has been conducting programmes for the European Commission. The private sector is another major partner within the field of development cooperation. Since 2008, ADA has been allocating private funds for development cooperation. With its financing instrument of business partnerships, ADA promotes projects of companies in developing countries and emerging nations given that they contribute to improving the living conditions of the local population. Most funds are invested in key regions and priority countries of the Austrian Development Cooperation.

KEY ACTIVITIES:

ADA is primarily engaged in sectors where Austria can contribute its professional knowhow and long-standing experience: water supply and sanitation, renewable energy, climate protection, agriculture and forestry, private sector and development as well as human security, human rights and rule of law.

In pursuit of the SDGs, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) supports sustainable and inclusive land-use planning in its partner countries as well as tenure and use rights for the local population. ADA further promotes the empowerment and participation of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in decision-making processes.

ADA supports smallholder farmers (family farms) to produce in an environmentally sustainable and resource-efficient manner as well as in improving access to local and regional markets. Investments in local infrastructure (such as improvements in storage and processing of agricultural production) as well as extension and financial services for smallholder farmers and producer associations contribute to local value added.

SIGNATURE PROJECTS/TOOLS:

• WP-ÄTH-HRNS; Kaffeeallianz für Äthiopien – Coffee Alliances for Ethiopia (CAFE) Phase 2: https://www.entwicklung.at/en/projects/detail-en/wp-aeth-hrns-kaffeeallianz-fuer-aethiopien-coffee-
• First inclusive and barrier-free Bakery and Coffee Shop in Gyumri: https://www.entwicklung.at/en/projects/detail-en/first-inclusive-and-barrier-free-bakery-and-coffee
• WP-ÄTH-HRNS; Coffee Alliances for Ethiopia (CAFÉ): Improved livelihoods of 2,500 smallholder farming households through improving their production and value addition of coffee and other crops in a sustainable way: https://www.entwicklung.at/en/projects/detail-en/wp-aeth-hrns-coffee-alliances-for-ethiopia-cafe-im
• Strengthening Implementation of the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve: https://www.entwicklung.at/en/projects/detail-en/strengthening-implementation-of-the-yayu-coffee-fo
• Formation and Strengthening of Farmer Organizations for the Provision and Marketing of High Quality Coffee: https://www.entwicklung.at/en/projects/detail-en/formation-and-strengthening-of-farmer-organization
• UP/Sustainable Coffee Production and Processing coupled with Income Diversification in Mbeya Rural and Mbozi District: https://www.entwicklung.at/en/projects/detail-en/up-sustainable-coffee-production-and-processing-co
• Strengthening the Uganda Business Information Network: https://www.entwicklung.at/en/projects/detail-en/strengthening-the-uganda-business-information-netw

PRIORITY COUNTRIES:

Armenia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania.

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group funds, supports and accelerates the transition to a fairer and more sustainable world. Focusing on climate, biodiversity, peace, education, urban development, health and governance, the AFD teams carry out more than 4,000 projects in France’s overseas departments and territories and another 115 countries. In this way, AFD contributes to the commitment of France and French people to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

DONORS/PARTNERS

Development banks, local authorities, NGOs, foundation and civil society organizations.

KEY ACTIVITIES

Building a fairer and more sustainable world – a world in common that leaves no one behind – implies six major transitions, both here and over there, in the social, energy, territorial, digital, civic and economic spheres. And achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends on succeeding in these transitions.

Moreover, in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2, AFD Group is working to strengthen autonomy, sustainability and resilience in agricultural value chains.  AFD has adopted an integrated strategy that combines several objectives: preservation of natural resources and biodiversity, the economic development of agriculture, and territorial development in rural areas.

Finally, AFD is paying special attention to gender inequalities, which are very pronounced in rural areas and in the agricultural sector and, as such, constitute a key development focus.

In the coffee sector, ADF supports Kenyan small coffee farmers.

SIGNATURE PROJECTS/TOOLS

Supporting Aberdares’ small coffee farmers: https://www.afd.fr/en/carte-des-projets/supporting-aberdares-small-coffee-farmers?origin=/en/rechercher?query=coffee

PRIORITY COUNTRIES

Not specified.

AICS – the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – is one of key innovations established by the Italian law on international cooperation (Law No. 125/2014). The Agency began operating in January 2016, with the aim of aligning Italy with its principal European and global partners in the endeavor of development. Its basic model reflects that used in the main European countries, and it must comply with the demand for more professional and innovative forms of cooperation, involving the methodological flexibility necessary in a continuously evolving scenario.

DONORS/PARTNERS

CNR – Institute of Biometeorology; CIHEAM – International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies / IAM Bari; University of Florence; MATTM – Ministry of the Environment  and of the Protection of Land and Sea; ENEA – National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development; University of Rome Tor Vergata – CEIS; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.

KEY ACTIVITIES

The main fields of action are: economic development, human development, environment, rural development and food security; emergency and fragile states; sustainable development goals.

SIGNATURE PROJECTS/TOOLS

• Cafè y Caffè” (Guatemala): not specified.
• Honduras – Copan Coffee Fest, a chance of encounter, exchange and growth for the coffee value chain: https://www.aics.gov.it/2017/11862/

PRIORITY COUNTRIES

In the three-year period 2015-2017, the priority countries for Italian Cooperation are 20: Burkina Faso; Senegal; Niger; Ethiopia; Somalia; Sudan; South Sudan; Mozambique; Egypt; Tunisia; Lebanon; Palestine; Albania; Cuba; El Salvador; Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan.

As an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations, the federally owned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its development-policy objectives. GIZ promotes complex reforms and change processes.  

The program “Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains and Standards” is a unit of GIZ’s “Rural Development and Agriculture” department. It works on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The aim of the program is to improve the conditions for sustainable agricultural supply chains – the coffee value chain is one of them. The program promotes the development of sustainable growing regions, transparency in global supply chains and the further development of sustainability standards. 

Donors/Partners

GIZ is partnering with a diverse range of organizations and initiatives. Within the coffee sector, GIZ is currently working with the Global Coffee Platform, the International Coffee Organization, the Südwind Institut e.V. and Fairtrade.

Key activities

On behalf of the BMZ, the program implements several projects and supports other organizations in doing so. Key activities are currently the development of sustainable sourcing regions in Ethiopia (District Nono Sale) and Colombia (Caquetá and Meta) in order to establish sustainable, cross-commodity production regions. The focus lays on working towards achieving a living income for smallholder families without endangering the forest and other natural ecosystems. The program supports the Global Coffee Platform in establishing a National Coffee Platform to promote sustainable coffee cultivation in Kenya and Ethiopia.

GIZ works closely together with the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in conducting a structured sector dialogue for a joint response to the price crisis in the coffee sector.

With the Coffee Innovation Fund the BMZ supports small and medium-sized companies in developing and disseminating innovative approaches. The innovations are intended to increase local value creation and facilitate access to higher value markets. The fund is implemented in Ethiopia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam. Besides, the BMZ supports the development of a blockchain-based traceability solution for coffee and beeswax.

Signature projects/tools

• ISASE- Innovations for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains in Ethiopia (https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/39619.html and https://www.nachhaltige-agrarlieferketten.org/en/success-stories/ina-in-ethiopia-pilot-project-isase-innovations-for-sustainable-agricultural-supply-chains-in-ethiopia/)
• Coffee Innovation Fund (https://www.nachhaltige-agrarlieferketten.org/fileadmin/media/CoffeeInnovationFund/Coffee_Innovation_Fund_PPT.pdf)
• Sustainable sourcing region in Colombia (https://www.nachhaltige-agrarlieferketten.org/en/success-stories/ina-in-colombia-pilot-project-in-the-amazon-and-orinoco-region/)

Priority Countries and corresponding areas of activities

Ethiopia: Labour conditions – Forest conservation & restoration – Access to finance

Kenya: Labour conditions – Forest conservation & restoration – Producer country policy

Colombia: Labour conditions – Forest conservation & restoration – Technical assistance 

International Climate Initiative (IKI) is one of the most important instruments of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) for the international financing of climate change mitigation and biodiversity. IKI operates within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), financing climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation in developing, emerging and transition countries.

DONORS/PARTNERS

IKI launched NDC’s Partnership. As a global alliance of governments and multilateral institutions, the NDCP aims to support emerging and developing countries in aligning their climate change mitigation goals with national development goals and to implement them rapidly, sustainably and effectively. The NDCP also seeks to create a foundation for bilateral and multilateral donor programmes, enabling them to focus even more specifically on national support needs and to coordinate efficiently.

KEY ACTIVITIES

The International Climate Initiative areas of support are:

• Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions: in the mitigation context, IKI supports partner countries in the development and implementation of innovative instruments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is a transformation towards a sustainable and low-emission economy and supply structure. In the area of mitigation, the conceptual focus is on policy advice, capacity building and suitable training measures as well as technology cooperation.
• Conserving biological diversity: in the funding area “Conserving biological diversity”, the International Climate Initiative (IKI) supports partner countries to implement the targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (Aichi Targets) of the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).  IKI projects often deal with challenges that, in addition to preserving and sustaining the use of biodiversity, also address climate change or adaptation to the impacts of climate change and develop comprehensive solutions. Conversely, the conservation of biological diversity also plays a key role in IKI projects on ecosystem-based adaptation and natural carbon sinks.
• Conserving natural carbon sinks/REDD+: in the funding area “Conserving natural carbon sinks/REDD+”, the International Climate Initiative (IKI) supports partner countries in particular in implementing the international mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD +) as well as projects to support the approach of forest and landscape restoration “FLR” as part of the Bonn Challenge.
• Adapting to the impacts of climate change: in the funding area “Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change”, the International Climate Initiative (IKI) is supporting particularly vulnerable countries and regions in increasing their capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change. The support focuses on ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), instruments for the risk management of climate-related extreme events, such as innovative insurance solutions, as well as the development and implementation of national adaptation strategies.

SIGNATURE PROJECTS/TOOLS

• Ethiopia: Climate Protection and Preservation of Primary Forests – A Management Model using the Wild Coffee Forests in Ethiopia as an Example: https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/details/project/climate-protection-and-preservation-of-primary-forests-a-management-model-using-the-wild-coffee-forests-in-ethiopia-as-an-example-09_II_066-73
• Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras: Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Smallholder Subsistence and Coffee Farming Communities in Central America: https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/details/project/ecosystembased-adaptation-for-smallholder-subsistence-and-coffee-farming-communities-in-central-america-11_II+_001-240
• Ethiopia: Meeting Ethiopia’s Bonn Challenge target: Restoring degraded coffee landscapes: https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/details/project/meeting-ethiopias-bonn-challenge-target-restoring-degraded-coffee-landscapes-18_III_078-3029
• Ethiopia: Biodiversity in a changing climate: community-based strategies for the protection, management and development of wild coffee’s region of origin: https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/details/project/biodiversity-in-a-changing-climate-communitybased-strategies-for-the-protection-management-and-development-of-wild-coffees-region-of-origin-13_IV+_028-365

PRIORITY COUNTRIES

Not specified.

SIDA is a government agency working on behalf of the Swedish parliament and government, with the mission to reduce poverty in the world. Through its work and in cooperation with others, SIDA contributes to implementing Sweden’s Policy for Global Development (PGU). SIDA strives to reduce world poverty by allocating resources and knowledge with the goal of making a difference for people in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. To achieve this, SIDA collaborates with actors from civil society and universities as well as the public and private sector.

DONORS/PARTNERS

Sweden’s development cooperation resources are funded through tax revenue. The starting point for SIDA is always traditional official development Assistance. In order to implement strategies and carry out our work, SIDA cooperates with many organisations, associations, agencies, companies and cooperatives that with their function and knowledge base in our society constitute a pivotal role in development cooperation. SIDA also has multi-stakeholders’ partnerships such as Swedish Leadership for Sustainable Development, Swedish Investors for Sustainable Development, Power Africa, USAID. Moreover, SIDA cooperates with the private sector, public sector and civil society organisations.

KEY ACTIVITIES

The overall objective of Swedish development cooperation is to ensure that people living in poverty and under oppression could improve their living conditions. To carry out this mission in an effective and strategic way, SIDA works broadly across several sectors such as democracy, human rights and freedom of expression, gender equality, environment and climate, health, market development, agriculture and food security, education, sustainable societal development, conflict, peace and security and humanitarian aid.

Working to promote a sustainable and equal society is a very important part of Swedish development aid. SIDA mainly focuses its support through initiatives in the following areas: improved water resource management, increased access to clean water and basic sanitation; improved access to sustainable energy alternatives; sustainable cities.

Within coffee field, since 2010 SIDA has been a partner in the international Coffee and Climate Initiative. In this initiative, public and private actors cooperate to increase coffee farmers’ ability to live off their agriculture, both today and in the future. Private coffee companies are the driving force behind the cooperation. The Initiative includes farmers in Tanzania, Brazil, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

SIGNATURE PROJECTS/TOOLS

• Coffee and Climate Initiative: https://www.sida.se/English/where-we-work/Global-development-interventions/examples-of-results/coffee-farmers-adapt-to-new-weather-conditions/
• SIDA supports female coffee exporters in Ruwanda: https://www.sida.se/English/where-we-work/Global-development-interventions/examples-of-results/female-coffee-exporters-competing-in-a-male-dominated-industry/

PRIORITY COUNTIRES

SIDA has bilateral development cooperation with 35 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. SIDA also has regional development cooperation in Africa, Asia, the Middle East & North Africa and Europe and supports organisations that contribute to poverty reduction globally.