FTO Guatemala Huehuetenango

Fair Trade and organic-certified coffees from Guatemala are moderately common, as many smallholder producers have organized themselves into democratically run cooperatives and have achieved certification in part to leverage the value of their coffee output. Guatemala's coffee sector sees participation from many groups of indigenous producers, who typically have a strong cultural connection with preserving and conserving the land and natural resources, making organic certification a relevant choice. As there have historically been legal obstacles to women owning their own farms and/or becoming card-holding cooperative members, some of the producing associations with which we work have begun separating out women growers' coffee to sell separately as part of our Women Coffee Producers program, which comes with a gender-equity premium paid directly to the women.

CODECH (Coordinator of Organizations for the Development of Concepcion Huista) is a second-tier organization located in the municipality of Concepcion Huista in the department of Huehuetenango in Guatemala. It comprises 10 different member organizations and has 476 members..

CODECH was founded in 1998, as representatives of the member organizations were in search of alternative development programs for the community in Concepcion Huista. One of CODECH’s main objectives is the participation of women in society and the workforce. Gregorio, the general manager of CODECH, is also pushing for farmers to renovate their farms. He believes they could be producing about three times their current volume on average.

The organization's organic certification is not only indicative of its commitment to being environmentally friendly, but also to be independent from transnationals which produce fertilizers. They are also want independence from the price of oil (used in fertilizers). Gregorio also believes that there is a growing market for organic products and wants to meet that demand.

• Organic farming workshops
• General agriculture workshops
• National and international commercialization workshops
• Teacher development workshops
• Women's specific workshops
• Political incidence
• Women's rights and gender equity
• Self esteem
• Leadership
• Medical attention
• Household development
• Classes by mail and radio