Telésforo Cruz

3 mins
Cooperative news and updates The farmers

Telésforo’s Fight With Climate Change

By Lauren Morris

Telésforo Cruz Labán didn’t start out as a coffee farmer. He grew up watching his parents work the land, but struggling to make enough money.  Yields were low, support was scarce, and making a living from coffee felt impossible. For years, he took other jobs to get by. But five years ago, he returned to farming, hoping coffee could provide a steady income for his family.

Telésforo harvests coffee beans on his farm in San Miguel de Faique. Telésforo’s a member of the Norandino cooperative.

The reality is that making money from coffee is tough. Prices fluctuate, climate change is making growing conditions unpredictable, and pests are hitting yields. Farmers like Telésforo often rely on side incomes—selling plantains, oranges, or even pasture for livestock—to keep things going.

Telésforo Cruz checks the size of his bamboos on his farm.

“One is water,” Telésforo says. “Here in San Miguel del Faique, during dry seasons, we lack the essential resource for farming, which is water. The other factor is pests and diseases that are on the rise due to climate change.”

“We lack the essential resource for farming, which is water. The other factor is pests and diseases that are on the rise due to climate change.”

That’s where Producers Direct and the Centre of Excellence come in. Through training, knowledge-sharing, and practical solutions, they help farmers like Telésforo improve their yields and boost their earnings.

“I have taken part in different Centres of Excellence, which have been interesting and very important for me as a farmer,” Telésforo says. “These Centres allow an exchange of ideas and provide technical assistance in managing your farm, which I found crucial. I have learned a lot, I have gained a lot of knowledge.”

“These Centres allow an exchange of ideas and provide technical assistance in managing your farm, which I found crucial.”

Telésforo tastes a coffee bean he harvested on his farm in San Miguel de Faique.

The Centre of Excellence also provides a space for farmers to share ideas. Techniques that work in one region are tested in another. Farmers experiment with different coffee varieties to find those best suited to changing conditions. And new technologies – like mobile apps to track production — are starting to level the playing field.

San Miguel de Faique district. Huancabamba province. Piura region in Peru.

“Technology is quite advanced now,” Telésforo says. “Even from a young age, children start using cellphones. I believe that in the future, any child can handle the technology that comes and bring those benefits to the farm.”

Cafédirect understands that for farmers to keep growing coffee, they need to earn more.  Buying directly from cooperatives like Norandino, paying fair prices, and investing in farmer-led programmes means farmers have a better chance of building a sustainable future.

Telésforo with his wife Ana María Flores and their son Alison Cruz in their home.

“I envision having a well-organised plot in the future, with profitable coffee varieties that produce a better cup of coffee,” Telésforo says. “Above all, I wish to produce a good quantity of coffee per hectare, around 60 to 80 quintals (2,722 kgs to 3,629 kgs) per hectare. That’s my desire.”

And Cafédirect will keep working to make sure farmers have the knowledge, support, and income to keep coffee growing for years to come.

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