COLOMBIAFERNANDO GARCIA

About coffee:

Fernando moved from the department of Caqueta to Huila back in 2004 because of the armed conflict in his home region. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Colombia has the world’s second-highest population of internally displaced people, with an estimated 6.8 million Colombians displaced within its borders. This number reflects the extensive impact of the conflict on civilians over several decades. He chose El Pital where he has family, and quickly started planting crops: first with beans, then peaches, and later on coffee.
Fernando learned about crop diversification during a set of trainings held by his Diocese. Those trainings were part of a response and resistance to the many hydroelectric projects that the government together with foreign companies were planning to build in north Huila. Fernando was a social activist for many years and their resistance led to the abandon of various projects and the compensation for damages already incurred by the El Quimbo dam. Those dams would provide energy to the country at a high cost for local populations and environment: displacement of local population with little to zero compensation, drastic rise in temperature in the region that forces many farmers out of business, flooding cause losses of natural habitat for many species and the alteration of river ecosystems negatively impact the local fishing economy.
Because Fernando’s always looking at doing things differently, he planted unusual varietals like Chiroso, Tabi and Bourbon Manzano. Most coffee producers in the area have Colombia varietal. The coffee plantation is between 4 and 7 years old and now fully bearing its fruits with diverse cup profiles. He also is the only producer of peaches in the area which is why he chose this crop. A small watercourse runs down his farm so the forest around it is left untouched to protect this water part of a bigger river ecosystem.

Because Fernando’s always looking at doing things differently, he planted unusual varietals like Chiroso, Tabi and Bourbon Manzano. Most coffee producers in the area have Colombia varietal. The coffee plantation is between 4 and 7 years old and now fully bearing its fruits with diverse cup profiles. He also is the only producer of peaches in the area which is why he chose this crop. A small watercourse runs down his farm so the forest around it is left untouched to protect this water part of a bigger river ecosystem.