Spotlight on Solidaridad Colombia
The Acorn approach is straightforward: we enable smallholder farmers to access the voluntary carbon market by empowering them to transition to agroforestry. But that's easier said than done, of course. Agroforestry looks different in different parts of the world: the soil, local flora and fauna, socioeconomic environment, and even the weather play a huge part in how agroforestry can be successfully implemented.
That's why we work with local partners — such as Solidaridad Colombia. They have the necessary local know-how and network to reach farmers, can find out what their needs are, and are able to provide them with training and support. From onboarding to payment, we rely on local partners to forge a strong connection between Acorn and the farmers we aim to uplift.
In Colombia, our local partner Solidaridad has been supporting coffee and cocoa local farmers for years. Their knowledge and expertise have made our activities in Colombia truly fruitful.
Solidaridad
Solidaridad is an international non-profit organization with over 50 years of experience when it comes to developing inclusive and sustainable value chains. They're active in Latin America, North America, West Africa, Central and East Africa, Southern Africa, Europe, and Asia, with dedicated regional centers focused on implementing Solidaridad's global strategies as well as making a local impact.
The CO2 certificates and the revenue we receive from them are a great help to us. They are an added value that we generate in addition to our coffee production. We can use this money to buy fertilizer or maintain our machines, for example.
—Diego Edison López, coffee farmer in La Sierra, Cauca
Every farmer is a person with its very own reasons to join. Understanding those motivations is critical to respond to them in the long end. We ensure clear communication about the benefits, methodologies and process, embedding the messaging within a farming business context.
—Joel Brounen, Country Manager for Solidaridad Colombia
Solidaridad Latin America Colombia
Coffee plantations with shade trees and medicinal trees, supporting farmers, flora, and fauna alike. Solidaridad and Acorn helped to make it happen. Find out all about this project on its dedicated project page.
The Carbon Farming Academy
In addition to community support, Solidaridad also digitally supports farmers to promote their carbon knowledge. Training individual farmers can be expensive, so Solidaridad created the Carbon Farming Academy, a portal that explains all about trees, carbon, and Acorn through videos. This has evolved to content streaming via WhatsApp, and is now successfully used by many farmers.
There is so much to learn from one another, but this is why we find power in local partnerships. We look forward to strengthening our connections with local partners and farmers on the ground.