Growing Diversity - Latin America
TITLE OF EXPERIENCE: Organic coffee production and its contribution to natural resource management and conservation
AUTHOR: : Indigenous organization: Beneficio "Majomut" Coffeegrowers' Union of Ejidos and Communities
COUNTRY AND REGION: MEXICO, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas State
ECOLOGICAL ZONE: Chiapas highlands, cold region and hot jungle
ABSTRACT
The Beneficio "Majomut” Coffeegrowers' Union of Ejidos and Communities is a grassroots social organization founded in 1983 by small coffee growers, Tzotzil and Tzeltal indigenous people in the geographical region known as the Chiapas Highlands in far southern Mexico. The organization has 1,450 members in 25 communities, who work an average of two hectares each, including corn, beans and coffee. Coffee is the main source of family income, as it is sold. The organization was created as a means to bring together farmers in the processing and direct marketing of their coffee. Gradually the work has expanded to include the entire productive process and it has become a means for organizing, managing and carrying out integral development projects for the communities.
Coffee was first planted in the region in the 1960s, under traditional peasant crop management. The conversion to organic agriculture began in 1992, and in 1995 the first organic certificate was granted. The work has been carried out through the training of community promoters who manage local consulting. Organic farming is a solution to the situation of low prices on the international market, along with the disappearance of direct support for coffee growers in terms of technical assistance, marketing and financial support. That problem caused the abandonment of practices for maintaining the crop and processing the beans, thus leading to lower yields and product quality.
The methodology of the work is based on activities such as: Exchange of experiences through a Peasant-to-Peasant approach, preparation and evaluation of agroecological practices, participatory research (peasant experimentation), training of community promoters and community participation. The agents participating in the process are: communities in the peasant organization, the network of promoters, the coordinating network of small coffegrowers' organizations and the international cooperation agencies. The Majomut Union is promoting work with the women to strengthen spaces for participation in the organization's internal democracy.
CONTACT: Click here for updated contact details
Unión Majomut : Av. Ignacio Allende # 34 "A” Col. Altejar, C.p. 29280, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. Tel: (529)6783196 - Fax: (529)6788106 – E-mail: Majomut@laneta.apc.org