Secure tree climbing workshops
Among the activities that are carried out in the management of the coffee plantation, is the regulation of its shade, which directly influences its yield. However, this activity is possibly the one with the greatest risk for producers, since it consists of climbing trees to prune branches and trunks at considerable heights and is generally carried out in an artisanal way, that is, with the tools, equipment and techniques than they have on hand, which are usually a rope and a machete.
The Cooperativa AMBIO, in collaboration with OFI (Olam Food Ingredients) and Rainforest Alliance, carried out training workshops for the management and regulation of the shade of certified coffee plantations in the Frailesca region, Sierra Madre, in the state of Chiapas. The trainings took place over seven months, with an average of 3 to 4 effective days for each workshop and around 10 participants per event. They were carried out in coffee plantations of the ejidos participating in the initiative: Tierra y Libertad, Nueva Independencia and Villahermosa, in the municipality of Villaflores; and Ranchería Argentina and Plan de Ayala, in the municipality of Villa Corzo.
The main objective of the training was to provide participants with specialized techniques and tools to reduce the risks that implies the activity of regulating the coffee shade, through the implementation of safe tree climbing practices. Lastly, and as part of the commitments of the Cooperativa AMBIO to continue with the development of local capacities for community well-being, it delivered to OFI six complete safe tree-climbing equipment, to be distributed among the participating communities.
