BV’s Food Security Initiative 2021-22 — what did we learn so far?
Bean Voyage has launched a Food Security Initiative in August 2021. Here’s a summary of our Mid-term report published in November 2021.
Bean Voyage, in partnership with The Starbucks Foundation and The Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (ICAFE), is leading the Food Security Initiative for 100 Smallholder Coffee Farmers in Costa Rica. This initiative aims to work alongside smallholder women coffee farmers in Costa Rica to mitigate issues caused by food insecurity.
The project, which launched in August 2021 and will continue through February 2022, is divided into five activities: (1) the application process, (2) the selection process, (3) food basket delivery, (4) adaptation training, and (5) proposals and micro-grants.
This summary will detail the project’s midterm progress (August 2021 — November 2021), during which activities 1–4 were completed or begun, and will summarize key findings.
Activity 1: the application process (August 2021)
Bean Voyage received 142 applications from seven regions, with the most from Tarrazú (48), followed by Brunca (41) and Valle Central (33). 110 applicants were women, while 32 were men. To gain insight into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on applicants, Bean Voyage also collected data on changes in income and food expenditures after the onset of the pandemic. 81.7 percent of applicants (116 applicants) reported an overall decrease in income and 74.6 percent (106 applicants) reported an overall decrease in food expenditures.
Activity 2: the selection process (August 2021 — September 2021)
Along with data from the applications, Bean Voyage conducted follow-up interviews to better gauge the applicants’ socioeconomic levels. After data collection, Bean Voyage used a risk matrix, which measured risk in terms of vulnerability, food security, income, and poverty, and scored each applicant.
Bean Voyage selected 100 participants; when taking participants’ dependents into account, the project reaches approximately 480 people. 72 of the selected participants are women, 45 of whom are heads of household. With regard to monthly income levels, participants from Brunca, the region with the most selected participants (36), had the lowest average monthly income. 81 participants reported a monthly income between 0 and 150,000 colones, which is equivalent to $235 (USD) per month, or $1.83 per day per person. 88 participants faced reduced incomes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Activity 3: food basket delivery (September 2021 — February 2022)
By November 2021, Bean Voyage distributed 50 percent of the expected food baskets, which totaled 2,401 kilograms of food, 612 liters of milk, and 530 kilograms of hygiene products. The food baskets include: cooking oil, milk, various types of pasta, pasta sauce, chicken stock, canned tuna, rice, salt, beans, soup, sugar, menstrual pads, soap, toilet paper, and dish soap (with some of the products interchanging each month based on the needs — for eg. salt).
Activity 4: adaptation training (October 2021 — November 2021)
To increase the resiliency of farms and farming families, Bean Voyage collaborated with local experts to provide virtual workshops on business practices that can be implemented alongside coffee farming, in addition to business development and management. Examples of workshops include: beekeeping, henkeeping, home gardening, bio-inputs in coffee farms, empowerment and personal brand, personal finance, how to start a project, innovation, and network management.
Key Findings:
On educational levels:
There is a correlation between education levels and vulnerability to food insecurity. To make programming more accessible to people of all educational levels, trainings included more images and infographics, and placed less of an emphasis on reading and writing. Bean Voyage also identified mentors to assist farmers with lower education levels with proposal writing.
On gender roles:
Smallholder women farmers often face the double burden of taking care of their homes and farms, which can prevent them from attending trainings. Bean Voyage created a more accessible platform that farmers can use to continue learning in the long run.
On accessibility:
Bean Voyage’s training participation rate was 75 percent, which fell short of the 90 percent target rate. This was due in part to the implementation of virtual training sessions after a rise in COVID-19 cases. To make up for the loss in participation, Bean Voyage uploaded virtual trainings online and plans to host in-person trainings and farm visits in 2022.
On alliances:
This initiative provided many organizations with one platform to provide technical assistance and training on topics that can mitigate food insecurity in coffee communities. Furthermore, sourcing local subject matter experts will allow participants to have access to experts’ tools and mentorship in the long run.
The project is on the right track to culminate at the end of February 2022.
More on this soon! Stay tuned by signing up for our newsletter here.
Written by Sunaina Sunda
Bean Voyage is a feminist nonprofit social enterprise that collaborates with smallholder women farmers to eradicate the gender gap in farming communities. Visit our website to learn more and find us on Instagram and YouTube to stay updated!
