The RECLAIM Sustainability! programme has been officially launched in the coffee sector of Honduras, as of April this year. This initiative aims to promote sustainability in global value chains. One of the primary acts of the solution is to implement systemic change in the coffee world, by getting the voices of producers and workers heard, as well as by improving their working rights and conditions.
This five-year programme, which launched in February 2021, is a joint initiative by Solidaridad, Fairfood, TrustAfrica and Business Watch Indonesia (BWI). The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with which this programme is in a strategic partnership, is providing financial support.
In this phase of the project, social and gender inclusion, as well as fair value distribution in the coffee value chain, are the prioritised issues to be tackled. The first action taken for this programme was on February 18th, when a gender policy was integrated into the existing national policy in the Honduran coffee sector. The main aim of the gender policy is to narrow the sector’s inclusion gap.
Another one of the issues which the project takes aim at is transparency. Partnering with Capucas Cooperative, Solidaridad will begin the pilot implementation of a blockchain-based tool called TRACE, operated by FairFood. This tool will form the foundational layer for a traceability model, which will document the digital fingerprints of each entity involved in the supply chain.
This is done by connecting all the parties involved in Capucas Cooperative’s coffee value and supply chain, from the initial farm producers to the final consumer. Blockchain technology allows for this transparent tracking of goods along the entire chain.
With this model, the processes of the coffee chain can be managed better by ensuring that resources are optimised and distributed fairly. The results from this pilot will be presented at the Sustainable Coffee Platform in Honduras to encourage the widespread use of the tool in the coffee sector of the country.
Capucas Cooperative is fully onboard with transparency as they believe that this tool will empower the coffee growers in the Capucas organisation.
“This year, we expect to begin adapting to the use of the tools and begin raising awareness among the producers of what the project entails. We have great expectations for this new relationship with Solidaridad. The experience and knowledge already gained will facilitate moving towards what we all strive for: well-being for the producer families. – Omar Rodríguez, General Manager of the Capucas Cooperative
Within the short time since the launch of the RECLAIM Sustainability! programme, they have made some impressive progress towards these goals. The palm industry is another area to have benefited from the initiatives. Each of these sector-wide development represents the success of a wider value-chain revolution, aiming to advance transparency, efficiency, and ethical production around the world.
