Colombia – El Bombo

In 2023, Asobombo conducted extensive research and conversations with community members to identify the biggest issues facing coffee farming families in their cooperative and begin addressing those issues. What they found was that monocultural agricultural practices caused food insecurity and imbalanced eating habits for families. They also found that a lack of knowledge and opportunities about sensory coffee improvement restricted family income. Their analysis showed that gender inequality was a key factor in achieving sustainability and livable incomes for their members. When women are empowered in the family and business, they can be key drivers for social and economic improvement. Thus, Asobombo’s Women’s Group is focused on strengthening gender equity and creating more opportunities for women and their families to learn about balanced diets, resource allocation and coffee quality improvement. You can read more about the Asobombo 'Women and Coffee' project to learn how purchases of this coffee contribute to these efforts. Asobombo „Nők és kávé” projektjéről bővebben olvashatsz, hogy megtudd, hogyan járul hozzá e kávé vásárlása ezekhez az erőfeszítésekhez. 

CULTIVATON

In Pitalito, farms tend to be slightly larger than other regions of Colombia. Most farms here are between 3 and 5 hectares, compared to 1 to 3 hectares in other regions. Most of the families living in Pitalito today immigrated from Nariño in the 19th and 20th centuries. Nariño used to be much more densely populated than Huila, but many people migrated to Pitalito in search of affordable, fertile land.

In addition to coffee, many producers in Pitalito also grow sugarcane. Asobombo helped member communities build mills where farmers can process sugarcane into panela, a typical raw sugarcane product that is common in rural Colombia.

Asobombo is providing education and support for families in the cooperative to establish organic and sustainable vegetable gardens that will add nutrients and variety to their family diets.