Our World

NESCAFÉ and Rainforest Alliance partnership

Better together

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NESCAFÉ and Rainforest Alliance partnership

Every time you enjoy a delicious cup of NESCAFÉ it’s the result of a combined effort of thousands of unique coffee farms. Knowing the dynamics behind these farms is vital to help improving livelihoods wherever we can. To achieve this, in 2014, NESCAFÉ joined forces with the Rainforest Alliance. Together, we developed the NESCAFÉ Plan Theory of Change which defined the positive impacts we planned to make. It’s now the backbone of our Monitoring and Evaluation toolkit, and maps the progress of our key field activities. NESCAFÉ might know a lot about coffee, but it’s always a good idea to get some help to become even better.

A perfect recipe for positive change

Every good recipe requires care, attention, and accurate measurements. Measuring NESCAFÉ’s impact on the ground starts with assessing net farm income and measuring farmer livelihoods from coffee and other crops. Next, comes a measure of our impact on farming families. Finally, aspects like soil health, biodiversity and water are measured to track the carbon reduction.

This helps NESCAFÉ to work closely with farmer groups to get their perspective, understand their challenges and work to develop practical solutions to help create sustainable and regenerative benefits that aim to improve livelihoods, and natural resources.

https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/business/tailored-services/partnerships-for-success-monitoring-and-evaluation-with-nescafe/

The more we know the better we are

No matter how much good you think you’re doing, you can’t say for sure without solid data. Our close partnership with the Rainforest Alliance helps NESCAFÉ assess all the field programmes around the world with visible results. Having this knowledge lets us share, evaluate, improve, and adapt our activities with the aim to bring long-term benefits to hundreds of thousands of coffee farmers.

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“NESCAFÉ provided 37 million leaf rust resistant coffee plantlets to over 33,000 coffee farmers facing a major outbreak. Our data identified which varieties were working with a 93% survival rate and 50% rise in productivity.”

Hand holding coffee leaves affected by rust

Earning 5 Stars In Mexico

Through monitoring and evaluation, NESCAFÉ did more than mitigate the impact of a leaf rust crisis in Mexico in 2014. We then spoke to farmers to learn what else we could do. NESCAFÉ provided 37 million leaf rust resistant coffee plantlets to over 33,000 coffee farmers facing a major outbreak.

Our data identified which varieties were working with a 93% survival rate and 50% rise in productivity. Afterwards, NESCAFÉ’s team managers provided field training and more investment in farm labour. Afterall, it takes good data and good conversations to make a lasting positive impact.

Hitting the books in Vietnam

You can’t solve a problem well, unless you fully understand the nature of the problem. In Vietnam, NESCAFÉ wanted to improve the livelihoods and productivity of economically vulnerable coffee farmers faced with high production costs, inefficient irrigation, and a dependency on one crop.

NESCAFÉ helped by providing 9 million plantlets to over 14,000 farmers to increase yields, provided training in agricultural practices like intercropping, and taught financial literacy and record keeping.

By 2020, 89% of Vietnamese farmers part of the NESCAFÉ field programme kept financial records which proved to be beneficial. With better records and better yielding plantlets, farmers invested in their fields and increased productivity with smarter irrigation management and crop diversification leading to higher incomes. It’s amazing how getting organised can make a difference.