{"id":26569,"date":"2025-08-14T21:41:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T19:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/resources\/\/resources\/fairfood.org\/resources\/?p=26569"},"modified":"2025-09-30T17:37:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:37:56","slug":"building-income-resilience-with-molinos-de-honduras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fairfood.wpdev.go2people.nl\/en\/resources\/building-income-resilience-with-molinos-de-honduras\/","title":{"rendered":"Building income resilience with Molinos de Honduras"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Beyond productivity: building income resilience with Molinos de Honduras<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

As part of the RECLAIM Sustainability! programme, Fairfood has been developing and testing a Living Income Commodity Strategy<\/a> in Honduras. This work was made possible thanks to the commitment of Molinos de Honduras<\/strong>, a subsidiary of Volcafe, and our partners Heifer International and Akvo. Using farm-level data from over 300 coffee producers, we tested a model to assess living income price gaps and conducted cost-yield efficiency analyses to design more targeted interventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we didn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This July we took the next step by hosting our first in-country Living Wage & Income Lab<\/a><\/strong>, in Siguatepeque, Honduras. The goal: bring the data and the dialogue directly to the farmers. This session marked a new chapter for the our 10-year-old Lab: one where the conversation isn\u2019t just about farmers, but with<\/em> them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Fairfood, it was also a step closer to our vision: a future where farmers are not just data providers, but active users of insights that reflect their reality. In the session, we worked side by side to interpret the findings, exchange experiences, and co-develop practical solutions grounded in everyday challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From numbers to narratives<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During the session, farmers took part in budgeting exercises based on their actual income and expenses. This hands-on work sparked honest reflections. Many admitted they weren\u2019t keeping track of their spending\u2013and often didn\u2019t see the value in doing so\u2013making it difficult to save, plan ahead, or spot opportunities for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, we looked at how current incomes compared to a decent standard of living: one that covers not just food, housing, health, and education, but also transportation and the ability to manage unexpected costs, whether personal or business related. While in Europe we talk about the \u201cliving income\u201d concept to capture this ambition, at farm level it often comes down to one thing: resilience. The capacity to withstand market fluctuations, climate pressures, or other shocks beyond their control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several insights stood out. Financial literacy was recognised as a major barrier, especially among older generations. A shift in mindset from survival to profitability and planning was seen as just as crucial as any technical training. Peer exchange played a powerful role too, as sharing personal experiences helped surface both common challenges and community-driven ideas for moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also became clear that price isn\u2019t everything<\/strong>. This year, farmers are benefiting from higher prices, but the real challenge is ensuring they are building enough resilience to cope with less favorable seasons. Resilience, in this context, isn\u2019t just about agronomic practices or external support, but the skills to manage a farm as a business, as is intended through the Volcafe Way Practices. Although in buying countries business management is often treated as a core competency, at origin, this is too often treated as a \u201cnice to have.\u201d This gap presents a clear opportunity: supply chain partners have a role to play in helping this skill flourish where it matters most. <\/strong>Building the business capacity of farmers isn\u2019t a luxury, it\u2019s a foundation for long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barriers and breakthroughs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The workshop created space not just for voicing challenges but also for imagining change. For one, the few women in the room shared that they had never attended a training before and felt newly motivated to do so, especially after seeing gender-disaggregated data showing consistent disparity between living income prices for men and women. Farmers reflected about the weight of high input and labor costs, the limited access to health and education services, increasing climate pressures, low financial literacy, and the daily effects of poor rural infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n

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One of the most compelling findings from our survey: 78% of farmers involved in training offered by Volcafe were significantly closer to earning a living income. This underscores that productivity and efficiency matter, but only if they\u2019re matched with access to training, fair prices, and long-term support.<\/blockquote>\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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The solutions that emerged in the room aligned with the recommendations mapped out in a Living Income study that will soon be published. This is now feeding into the Volcafe Way, a farmer support programme dedicated to improving yield, quality, and resilience. Like many corporate initiatives, this one has traditionally been monitored through a productivity lens. Now, Molinos de Honduras aims to integrate an income layer into how impact is measured. “Together with Fairfood, we are developing a strategy to reach groups that have been historically left out, equipped with clear indicators to track results,” explains Andrea Moncada, responsible for sustainability and special projects at the Volcafe subsidiary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To receive the case study first hand in October, be sure to register to our newsletter.<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s next<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Insights from farmers will actively feed into Fairfood and Molinos de Honduras upcoming project design and funding proposals. Together, we are already working to turn data-driven insights into action by ensuring that future interventions respond to real needs on the ground. To learn more about our jointly developed Living Income Commodity Strategy and how you can facilitate a similar Living Income Lab yourself, reach out<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n

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The methodology is open source and ready to use<\/h2>\n
\n Learn about our approach<\/a>\n Reach out and test it<\/a>\n <\/div>\t\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCoffee<\/a>\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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