- Honduran coffee farmer doubled her productivity by reducing the presence of pests on her farm and implementing tissue management techniques learned in MOCCA and Becamo training.
- In Honduras, MOCCA has the support of the Dutch company Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE), which owns numerous beverage brands (coffee, tea and hot chocolate), as well as the company Keurig Dr Peppper (KDP).
It was 2014, when Mirtala Madrid began to get involved on her own in coffee cultivation in the Buena Vista community, located in the department of Copán, in western Honduras. “The truth is that we are coffee producers by family tradition, but I started my own plot about 9 years ago,” says Mirtala, who is now married and has a 6-year-old daughter.
Mirtala is an entrepreneurial woman who seeks to improve the life of her family. She knows very well that training in good agricultural practices is essential to increase the productivity of her coffee farm and generate greater income, which is why in 2019 she joined the training of the MOCCA program, which works in alliance with the Becamo company in western Honduras.
“I doubled the productivity of my coffee farm! In the MOCCA training I learned how to make traps to control the borer, tissue management techniques and the preparation of organic fertilizers.”
Mirtala Madrid
Coffee producer
Copán, Honduras
With the profits obtained this year thanks to the increase in her productivity, Mirtala built a warehouse for the treatment of coffee pulp and purchased inputs for her farm.
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 executed by a consortium led by TechnoServe.
In alliance with Becamo
Becamo established an alliance with MOCCA, through which more than 4,800 coffee producers (32% women) have been trained, with the purpose of increasing their productivity, quality and profitability. At the same time, Becamo has arranged financing lines for coffee producers who are part of its supply chain.
Determined to continue growing, Mirtala obtained a loan of 60 thousand lempiras provided by Becamo to expand the size of her farm and establish a new plantation, which will allow her to generate greater income.
Mirtala’s work as a coffee producer has been an example in her community for other women who seek the opportunity to train and get involved in activities that were previously more exclusive to men. “As women we have to organize our time to complete household chores and train ourselves to get ahead. I feel happy to see that now there are more opportunities for girls and young people to develop professionally,” says the coffee producer.
