Three major companies are launching a climate-smart coffee farming project to help 4,000 coffee-farming families adapt to a changing climate and protect local ecosystems.
Three international coffee companies have joined forces to protect coffee farming communities in western Honduras from worsening climate conditions. Julius Meinl, The J.M. Smucker Co., and Tchibo are partnering with the Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung foundation to launch a four-year climate-smart coffee farming project that will help 4,000 smallholder farming families adapt to climate change while protecting local ecosystems.
The Climate-Smart Coffee Region Honduras project will run from 2025 to 2029 in three departments: Ocotepeque, Copán, and Lempira. The initiative will cover 6,000 hectares of coffee farmland and work with 20 farmer organizations. The Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Honduras will implement the program on the ground.
Climate change has hit Honduras coffee farmers hard. Irregular rainfall, extended droughts, and higher temperatures have cut crop yields by up to 30 percent in recent years. These conditions have forced farmers to move their coffee plants to higher elevations in ecologically sensitive mountain areas.
The project builds on 15 years of experience from the initiative for coffee&climate, which all three participating companies support. Farmers will learn proven climate-smart coffee farming techniques for dealing with climate problems, including better soil and water conservation methods, growing trees alongside coffee plants, and controlling erosion.
Participants will also receive training on monitoring local weather patterns. Home improvements like fuel-efficient stoves and water-saving devices will help families reduce their environmental impact and save money. These practical tools aim to transform vulnerable farming areas into systems that can withstand climate shifts while supporting biodiversity.
The farming communities targeted for help sit in buffer zones around four protected areas: Celaque, Erapuca, Las Minas, and Volcán Pacayita. These locations are ecologically rich but face increasing pressure from climate change and the need to expand farming to feed families.
“By linking coffee productivity, community resilience, and ecosystem conservation, the project supports farmers’ livelihoods and positions western Honduras as a model for climate-smart and biodiversity-positive coffee farming in Central America,” said Theresa Ruperti, program manager for the initiative at Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung.
Beyond farming techniques, the project will focus on financial literacy, women’s leadership, and youth entrepreneurship. These elements recognize that climate adaptation requires both environmental and social change. Teaching farmers to better manage money helps them invest in improvements and weather financial storms when crops fail.
The project uses a unique governance structure that brings different groups together. Two inter-municipal platforms called Higuito and MAPANCE will coordinate between municipal governments, civil society groups, and local actors. This approach helps ensure everyone works toward the same climate goals rather than duplicating efforts or working at cross purposes.
The Honduran Coffee Institute will provide technical support, including farmer training, research, and monitoring. A regional Community of Practice will also connect 25 local organizations to share what they learn and develop new climate-smart coffee farming solutions together. The institute’s involvement adds scientific expertise and government backing to the grassroots work.
Carina Needham, Global Sustainability Director at Julius Meinl, called the project the first landscape initiative under the company’s Generations Programme. She emphasized the collaborative nature of the work, noting that coffee roasters who normally compete in the marketplace are working together on shared challenges through this climate-smart coffee farming approach.
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The project remains open to additional partners who want to contribute. This open-door policy could expand the reach and resources available to farming families. Project leaders will use recognized monitoring frameworks like Enveritas to track progress, measure impact, and adjust strategies based on what works.
Coffee farming provides income for thousands of Honduran families, making the crop’s survival crucial for regional economic stability. When climate change damages coffee crops, it threatens not just a beverage but entire communities’ ways of life. The western Honduras region’s ecological richness makes it particularly important to protect while helping residents earn their living.
The four-year timeline gives the climate-smart coffee farming initiative enough time to see results from tree planting and soil improvements, which take seasons to show benefits. It also allows for training multiple generations of farmers and building lasting institutional capacity in local organizations. Success could create a model that other coffee-growing regions worldwide might follow as climate pressures increase.
