Many people like their coffee black, but some Mexican coffee growers are working to make it green.
A financing program from the World Council of Credit Unions is aimed at helping farmers improve their organic coffee crops, which translates into higher prices and more income.
It’s part of a five-year, $4 million Cooperative Development Program that got under way in 2010 through the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Two Mexican credit unions have joined in as pilots, including Caja Zongolica, a credit union established five years ago to serve coffee farmers, which sends representatives by motorcycle and on foot to where farmers live and work.
Later this year the credit union will update the personal digital assistant technology developed by the World Council. The update will allow field officers to monitor and evaluate loans and the approval process in real time.
