Renacer Coffee Agronomy Field School

Date

20.03.23

We would like to congratulate the Renacer Field School on winning the Project category of 2023’s SCA Sustainability Award. This award recognises outstanding work in the field of sustainability and promoting sustainability within the coffee world, while inspiring others to initiate similar endeavors.

The SCA states that the projects, business models and people receiving these awards are not only dedicated to confronting the enormous challenges facing the specialty coffee industry – from climate change to gender inequality – but also collaborating across geographies, cultures, and value chain roles, and sharing lessons they have learned for the benefit of the entire coffee sector.

In English, Renacer means ‘Reborn’. The coffee agronomy field school was given this name to reflect the feeling that a renaissance was needed in El Salvador’s coffee sector. Lead by former Professor of Agronomy, Sigfredo Corado, the approach and values for teaching are based on those of regenerative agriculture and land restoration which promote a natural alliance with the mission of the Blue Harvest program

Origin: El Salvador

Partner organisations: CRS, Blue Harvest

People: 60 producers

In 2022, Falcon funded places for 3 students at the Renacer Field School through providing a premium of $2000.

In English, Renacer means ‘Reborn’. The coffee agronomy field school was given this name to reflect the feeling that a renaissance was needed in the EL Salvadorean coffee sector.

Renacer has been operating since 2020 from Finca Noruega in the area of Ahuachapan and was born from a collaboration between Raices (Cosecha Azul – Catholic Relief Services), the Los Naranjos Group and one of their founders, Sigfredo Corado. The technical field school sits under the umbrella of a program run by Catholic Relief Services named Cosecha Azul (Blue Harvest) which works in Central America focusing on the protection and restoration of water sources in coffee communities. Sigfredo Corado is a retired agronomy professor who worked at El Salvador’s National School of Agriculture (ENA), and was also head of social projects in vulnerable communities and groups. In his retirement he continued to support producers with his knowledge and expertise with the support of the Los Naranjos Group. Sigfredo’s approach and values for teaching are based on those of regenerative agriculture and land restoration which promote a natural alliance with the mission of the Blue Harvest program.

The Renacer Field School established a curriculum to help educate and support producers with a program of farm management designed by Sigfredo. A class is held twice a month for the students and throughout the year there are 3 modules which the students attend. The program has a focus on the 4 Rs that were developed to optimise soil health. Right Source. Right Dose. Right Place. Right Time. All the training takes place at the farm, Finca Noruega, where the students work the test plots. Here they can implement the knowledge gained in class before applying it to their own farms. Finca Noruega is 43 manzanas planted with a range of varieties from Bourbon to Gesha as well as having a section of the farm where students can learn about cover crops and what to plant in synergy with coffee that will benefit the soil health.

In the first year there were 10 students who were part of the program. This grew to 60 producers (10 female) the field school in 2022. To continue the support alongside from the field school Renacer has 6 field officers who support their students and communities. For every 10 producers they have

advisors who work closely with a field officer to help promote the practices and also provide information and training during the year about what techniques and processes they should be applying to their farms in the annual coffee producing cycle. This is currently supporting 350 producers in total.

Through providing a premium of $2000 in 2022, Falcon have funded places for 3 students at the Renacer field school. Each year for one student/producer to attend costs $650.

Renacer and Blue Harvest are also involved with 3 agricultural colleges looking at the future of coffee agronomists and graduates entering this sector. They are supplying a coffee agronomy module to students at these colleges that previously was not part of the curriculum. As well as providing the module content and teachings, they are supporting students with bursaries for travel, so they are able to attend the teachings in the field.

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