Ecological Farmers from the Sierra Madre of Chiapas – Part I

As many of you are now well aware, Equal Exchange buys a portion of our Mexican coffee from the CESMACH co-operative of small-scale farmers in Chiapas.  We have told the story of how we began working with CESMACH, and have posted links to a variety of articles that others, who have travelled with us to visit CESMACH, have published in their food co-op newsletters.

This year one of our Interfaith partners, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, granted CESMACH funding to support their efforts to train women leaders in the co-op.  Through our Small Farmers Green Planet Fund, Equal Exchange also sent additional funding to support a food security and environmental protection project through which the women members are planting organic gardens and orchards, raising poultry, and rescuing endangered native plant species in the El Triunfo Biosphere.

We have just received this report, and project update, from the co-op.  The first of two parts, covering the history of CESMACH, the unique resources of the El Triunfo Biosphere, and the situation facing their members in included.  Part II will cover the work that they are doing to grow and export high quality organic coffee, and some of the projects which they are implementing to protect the fragile eco-system in which they live and farm, and improve the quality of life for their members.  They’ve also included some beautiful photos we hope you enjoy!

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The El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve

The El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve was established on March 13, 1990 and encompasses 119,117 hectares of land, an area that is shared by the municipalities of Acacoyahua, Angel Albino Corzo, Montecristo de Guerrero, La Concordia, Mapastepec, Pijijiapan, Siltepec and Villa Corzo.

It is made up of rough terrain and the altitude ranges between 400 to 2,750 meters above sea level. The highest points are at El Triunfo, La Bandera, El Venado, El Cebú, La Angostura and Ovando. The total surface area is 119,177 hectares and the land is divided in two management zones: the nucleus zone and the buffer zone. The nucleus zone has five areas (I. El Triunfo, II. Ovando, III. Quetzal, IV. El Venado and V. La Angostura), all of which are designated to protect and research biodiversity and to provide environmental education. This zone has a total surface area of 25,763 hectares. The buffer zone is one area that encircles the nucleus zone and is been primarily designated for the development of sustainable production. It has a surface area of 93,458 hectares.

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Location of the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve

El Triunfo’s flora includes 10 of the 18 types of vegetation found in the state of Chiapas. There is a high diversity of plant species—in the Ovando Hills alone, 791 species, including 476 genus and 122 families, have been reported. 751 species are endemic to the mountainous zone in area 1 (el Triunfo), including Decachaeta ovandensis, Heisteria acuminata, Desmopsis lanceolata, Forchhammeria matudae, Bunchosia matudae, Centardisia (Ardisia) ovandensis, Daphnopsis flavida, Plocanophyllon flavum and Rondeletia ovandensis. Other species that are endemic to this area include the fichus (Ficus crassiuscula), the “carnero” (Coccoloba escuintlensis), the “caquito” (Sloanea terniflora), the “naranjillo” (Swartzia ochnacea), (Ceratozamia matudae) and (Erythrina tajumulcensis).

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Flora that is representative of the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve

Fauna is another important aspect—22% of all species found in Mexico are living in this area. To date, 14 amphibian species, 42 reptilian species, 390 bird species and 112 mammal species have been reported. Some animals are endemic, such as Matuda’s arboreal alligator lizard (Abronia matudae), the Cerro Ovando salamander (Dendrotriton xolocaltcae), the pit viper (Bothriechis ornatus), the blue-winged tanager (Tangara cabanisii) and the horned guan (Oreophasis derbianus). There are other threatened species and species in danger of extinction such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), the spider monkey, (Ateles geoffroyi), the tapir (Tapirus bairdii) and the quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno mocinno).

The jaguar and the quetzal, two species in danger of extinction, are still present in the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve.

In El Triunfo there are four climates: sub-humid heat, semi-humid heat, temperate humidity and semi-hot humidity. The temperatures range from 14 to 30 degrees centigrade, with an annual precipitation of 1,000 to 4,500 mm annually. This is one of the regions in the country that receives the most rainfall, which in turn generates a water resource that feeds the Grijalva River hydroelectric complex, the largest in Mexico.

A common panorama in the Sierra Madre of Chiapas

The distance between Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas, and the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve is 180 kilometers. It can be reached by following Highway 157 towards Independencia and then heading south towards Jaltenango de la Paz. Upon reaching the Nueva Independencia junction, take the road to Toluca.

The small coffee producers and their social and economic situation

While there may be some differences between a small producer from the Sierra Madre of Chiapas and those who come from other regions, the socio-economic characteristics are basically the same. Since they live in marginalized communities, the families find themselves in disadvantageous and limited situations in terms of important social services. They are also affected by the government’s lack of attention to this area and by the lack of excess income that is needed in order to improve the socio-economic situation.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the small-coffee producer of the Sierra Madre of Chiapas found him or herself in an extremely precarious situation, which highlighted the following needs:

The community of Nueva Colombia, Angel Albino Corzo, Chiapas

Land ownership. The small producers that are members of Cesmach own land cooperatively (via resources that they received from the government’s agrarian reform which was designated for groups of farmers). Initially these lands could not be transferred to third parties, which limited, and even impeded, investment in the Mexican countryside. However, the fact that the lands could not be used as loan collateral helped prevent many producers from losing their lands when they first took ownership.

Coffee production. This region is characterized by a well-defined rainy season (May – October), which is favorable for the crops’ phenological and biological seasons. In particular, the coffee’s stages are well defined—the flowering, bean development, maturation and drying of the bean.

Given that coffee harvest and drying happens during the drought—when there is no rain—there are particular conditions in which the activities must be carried out. This, together with the zone’s geographic conditions, yields a high-quality coffee.

Even though the region’s coffee is intrinsically-high quality, investment in the coffee farms (including the management of coffee plants, harvest infrastructure, de-pulping, and the washing and drying of the beans) is limited. This fact, together with low coffee prices and limited sales opportunities, has made it difficult to produce even better coffee. This results in a vicious cycle of unprofitable production; this is also the case in other regions and for other crops.

Commercial aspect. There is a high degree of dependence on intermediaries—who also purchase the coffee, finance high-interest loans to producers, and commercialize basic grocery goods. The relationship between the intermediaries and the producers exists because the producers need money in order to purchase food. This leads them to make a commitment in which they agree to turn over their next coffee harvest with an interest rate as high as 20% per month. Often times, the intermediary receives an in-kind loan repayment (coffee), generally in the form of “wet coffee” (coffee that was just washed and has not yet gone through the drying process). When measured, this coffee represents greater volume and value at the time of payment.

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Coffee producer from the Sierra Madre of Chiapas

Access to basic services. This is one of the most limited and limiting factors for developing countries. In rural areas, permanent and high-quality services are only available for those families who have means. Small coffee producers are generally not able to access these services and therefore they have limited possibilities for improving their economic and social conditions due to their lack of access to these services. Access to healthcare is very irregular. The larger communities of the Sierra Madre, Chiapas have health clinics, but they are substandard and lack well-trained personnel and availability of appropriate medicine and equipment. The absence of medical services for the general population is even more delicate for the fragile situation of those families with scarce resources when they encounter serious health problems.

The availability of water in the homes is not considered to be a serious problem. Generally speaking, thanks to the existence of numerous permanent water springs in the Sierra Madre of Chiapas, most families have regular access to good quality water. A serious problem that was identified and is related to the use of this resource has to do with the wet processing of coffee. Water contamination is more frequent on the small plots and the large plantations. But the organization manages this resource in such a way that the problem is totally under control.

With respect to communication, in some communities there is access to roads, highways and path openings, introduction of telephone lines, etc. However, compared with more urban areas and other parts of Mexico, these communities can be characterized as highly marginalized.

The rainy season coincides with the time of year in which products and economic resources used to satisfy basic needs—including food, health and clothing—are the scarcest. This time of the year represents a very fragile time in the popular economy and it is necessary to look for lasting alternatives to strengthen the communities and to diminish external dependence at this time of year (the lean months).

First steps for the organization

In 1992, the first organic production began in some communities including Toluca, Nueva Colombia and Laguna del Cofre, which at that time were a part of the Angel Albino Corzo municipality (later with the redrawing of municipal lines in Chiapas at the end of the 1990s, communities such as Toluca and Laguna del Cofre were attached to the new municipality of Montecristo de Guerrero). During that year, the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve leadership implemented, with the help of the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), a community education program on ecological production. This is an area that has been seen as an alternative for improving economic and social conditions.  Additionally, the producer organization obtained a legal status that allows the producers to form a legally-established organization and officially participate in a variety of activities and requisite formalities.

… to be continued.

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