In 1992, Asociación Aldea Global Jinotega began as a small farmers association. Today, Aldea Global provides its small farmer members with technical assistance, micro-crediting, and marketing services. In 2013, Aldea Global had 1,200 members, but by focusing on the aforementioned areas, its membership has rapidly expanded to more than 13,000 members, of which 34% are women. As of 2020, Aldea Global works in more than 700 rural communities. A general assembly of small farmer delegates elects a board of directors: president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and three directors. In addition, Aldea Global has an oversight and strategic credit committee.
Aldea Global educates producers on agroecological practices such as in-row tillage, diversified cropping, soil and water conservation. They also prioritize marketing to help producers move up the value chain. Aldea Global increased its small farmer members' combined coffee sales from USD 6 million to USD 17 million from 2013 to 2020 through their programs: Organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, Direct Trade, and Tierra Madre (women-produced coffee). From 2013 to 2022, specialty coffee exports to the U.S. and Europe grew from 68 containers to 452 containers. This progress is a testament to what a strong, producer-led organization can do to strengthen coffee-growing communities.
Aldea Global's specialty producer division is made up of 4,863 smallholders. 998 of those are women. The average farm size is 5 hectares.
