This program has ended

SAFE is a multi-stakeholder platform, powered by the IDB Lab and managed by Hivos, that aims to make coffee and cocoa landscapes more people-centered and inclusive through sustainable, climate-smart agricultural practices.

Why do we support smallholder farmers?

More than half of the food produced in Latin America comes from smallholder farmers, many of whom still live in poverty. Some of the main challenges faced by coffee and cocoa farmers in improving their livelihoods are: climate change; gender discrimination; age disparity, and agricultural practices not adapted to climate change.

How does the SAFE system work?

The SAFE Platform, a partnership between front-runner private sector participants, donors and non-governmental organizations, creates and supports land-transforming projects that demonstrate it is possible to produce coffee and cocoa sustainably. SAFE uses technology to innovate, and encourages trust and accountability among partners. It also promotes pre-competitive collaboration between partners at different project levels, which combines the strongest attributes of different stakeholders. The projects scale up innovative approaches in four areas: promoting responsible supply chains and sourcing methods; adapting production and making land resilient to climate change; opening up access to financial services, and focusing on women and youth.

Where

Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru

Results so far

SAFE projects, publications, and experiences have impacted the lives of over 143,000 people, mostly small-scale farmers, by providing grants, credits, information and innovative approaches in production systems.

Period and budget

2016-2020, US $35 million

Donor

Inter-American Development Bank Lab (IDB Lab)

Partners

The SAFE Platform is led by the IDB Lab, Hivos and a group of 20 partners: The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA), Catholic Relief Services, ECOM Trading Ltd., Farmers Brothers Co., The Global Coffee Platform (GCP), Grameen Foundation, Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Foundation, Keurig Dr. Pepper Inc., The Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers (CLAC), Lavazza Foundation, Oikocredit International Support Foundation, The Partnership for Gender Equity, Rainforest Alliance, Root Capital, S&D Coffee & Tea, Solidaridad Network, The Specialty Coffee Association, Starbucks Coffee Company, Sustainable Commodity Assistance Network (SCAN), and Sustainable Harvest Inc.