“My dream was to be a great coffee grower”

MOCCA and Mercon Coffee Group provide technical training to coffee producers in Jinotega (Nicaragua), to help them increase their productivity and profitability. MOCCA is a 7-year initiative funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Food for Progress Program, which seeks to improve agricultural productivity and expand trade in agricultural products. The

Cacao unleashed the winds of change for Guatemalan families

The good agricultural practices learned in the trainings provided by MOCCA, Lutheran World Relief and Cacao Verapaz, allowed cocoa farmers in Alta Verapaz (Guatemala) to double their production and increase their income. MOCCA is a 7-year initiative funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Food for Progress Program, which seeks to

Reaching new markets: Strength through unity

With the support of the MOCCA program and Lutheran World Relief, the CACAONICA cooperative, from Waslala, Nicaragua, expanded its reach from 290 cocoa farmers to almost 500 producers in 2 years. MOCCA is a 7-year initiative funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Food for Progress Program, which seeks to improve

Timber growth, cacao yields, and financial revenues in a long-term experiment of cacao agroforestry systems in northern Honduras

Cacao in Honduras is cultivated under traditional shade tree species (Inga sp., Erythrina sp., Gliricidia sp.), fruit and timber species deliberately planted or selected and managed from natural regeneration. Typically, the shade canopy of these cacao plantations is poorly managed resulting in high tree density and heavy shading, thus affecting cacao yield performance overtime. We

Access to financing boosts productivity of Guatemalan coffee growers

200 coffee producers located in Huehuetenango and Baja Verapaz have received loans for working capital through the alliance between MOCCA and Fundación Génesis Empresarial. MOCCA is a 7-year initiative funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Food for Progress Program, which seeks to improve agricultural productivity and expand trade in agricultural

Improving access to planting material for cocoa plantation renovation in El Salvador

MOCCA and The National Center For Agricultural And Forestry Technology (CENTA) is driving research efforts towards increasing cocoa productivity. MOCCA is a 7-year initiative funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Food for Progress Program, which seeks to improve agricultural productivity and expand trade in agricultural products. The MOCCA project is being

“The coffee supply chain starts with the seed”

USDA and MOCCA, support the WCR Verified program for large nurseries, by increasing the supply of quality planting material in 5 countries. The renewal and establishment of areas using verified seeds is expected to help reduce disease management costs and increase productivity. September 21, 2022. San Salvador, El Salvador Selecting the right variety is the

Family Entrepreneurship: El Cacao de la Esperanza (The Cocoa of Hope)

Milagro and Elmer increased their income in 80% by improving their chocolate bar´s production management. Elmer and Milagro, or the “Martínez Domínguez family” as they are known in their community for their entrepreneurial energy and willingness to share their knowledge, have great enthusiasm in managing their cocoa plantation, becoming leading producers, artisanal processors and innovative

CENFROCAFE participates in nursery verification and seed production processes through World Coffee Research

We interviewed Engineer Albertino Meza Ojeda, the coordinator of the Production and Sustainability Unit of CENFROCAFE, within the MOCCA framework project, about the importance of the initiatives carried out with World Coffee Research and the impact of seed production and coffee nurseries. By Jesslin Cruz Zeledón | Country Agronomist -World Coffee Research CENFROCAFE is a