The 15-year-old initiative addresses soil erosion and river contamination and elevates local farmers’ economic prospects.
Managed by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), the $32 million program trains coffee farmers in eco-friendly practices and facilitates certifications that fetch premium prices for their robusta beans. This dual-purpose approach aims to mitigate the Canal’s water level decline while empowering farmers.
Roberto Benitez, leader of a local coffee growers group, emphasized the multifaceted impact of the program, stating, “It improves our economy. It helps the climate. We can protect the rivers, and it helps the Canal better cope with droughts. It’s true that by reforesting the farms with coffee we don’t solve everything, but it helps.”
Approximately 1,700 local farmers benefit from the initiative, cultivating robusta beans in the Capira area on the Canal’s western basin. During the last coffee harvest, the region yielded around 10,600 60-kilogram bags of robusta beans, showcasing the program’s positive outcomes.
Experts commend the initiative for slowing environmental damage to crucial surface water sources vital for the Canal’s operation. At a time when the ACP faces the challenge of reducing crossings due to severe drought, the coffee farmers’ efforts are viewed as essential in making the Canal more resilient to the global climate crisis.
Ricaurte Vasquez, Head of the ACP, lauded the farmers, stating, “While they work to optimize their activity, they’re doing great work to protect the water for the population as well as guarantee the canal’s operations.”
