New Community of Practice Fosters Collaboration for Sustainable Coffee Sector
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - The Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECID) Ethiopia, in partnership with Ethiopian, Colombian, and Honduran partners, has launched a Community of Practice (CoP) aimed at fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among coffee stakeholders from different continents. The CoP, funded by the EU DeSIRA, focuses on women's empowerment for socio-ecological resilience of the coffee value chain against climate change in Ethiopia, Colombia, and Honduras. The CoP aims to strengthen practical research and innovation capacities, as well as transfer and exchange best practices and experiences related to gender equality, resilience, and sustainability in the coffee sector against climate change. It is open to coffee farmers' organizations, local communities, NGOs, the private and public sectors, and academia from Ethiopia, Colombia, Honduras, and Spain/EU.
The objectives of the CoP include facilitating knowledge co-creation on women in landscape management, governance, and climate action in the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve (YCFBR), providing a forum for the exchange of experiences and sharing of knowledge among Ethiopia, Colombia, and Honduras, and facilitating access to learning resources on women in landscape management, governance, and climate action. Furthermore, the CoP aims to raise awareness of the role of women in landscape management, governance, and climate action in the YCFBR to key stakeholders in the coffee value chain, support each other and encourage collaboration to improve the use of evidence on women’s landscape management, governance, and climate action resulting in uncovering solutions to problems and learning best practices from peers in the consortium and beyond.
“We believe that collaboration and knowledge sharing among coffee stakeholders from different continents will lead to innovative ideas, knowledge, and practices for the sustainability of the coffee value chain,” said a representative from the Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECID) Ethiopia.
The CoP also seeks to educate and guide public service leadership with respect to gender and climate change mitigation strategies to ensure the sustainability of the coffee sector, which is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Moreover, the launch of the CoP was marked by an opening workshop that brought together representatives from Ethiopia, Colombia, and Honduras to discuss their interests and objectives for the community of practice. The participants expressed their eagerness to collaborate, share experiences, and learn from each other in order to address the challenges faced by the coffee sector and promote sustainable practices.
“The CoP provides a unique platform for coffee stakeholders to come together, share their knowledge, and work towards sustainable solutions for the coffee sector in the face of climate change,” said a participant from the Ethiopian Coffee, Tea Authority (ECTA).
With its collaborative approach and focus on practical research and innovation, the CoP is expected to drive positive change in the coffee sector, benefiting coffee farmers, local communities, and the environment, while promoting gender equality and resilience against climate change.