International Coffee Day

Coffee is more than just a beverage: it is part of the region’s agroforestry systems, helping restore productive landscapes, diversify production, strengthen rural economies, and position Latin America and the Caribbean for the quality and diversity of its coffee.

More than 25 million families around the world depend on this crop, alongside rural communities that sustain one of the world’s most important agricultural value chains. When managed sustainably, coffee production can also contribute to soil biodiversity.

Coffee is a strategic crop for family farming: it accounts for between 10 and 15 percent of planted areas in countries across the region, where family farming represents more than half of all production units. These are farms where coffee grows alongside shade trees, fruit trees and other food crops, creating agroforestry systems that protect soil, water and biodiversity while diversifying each family’s income.

FAO supports countries through technical assistance, capacity building, investment analysis, and coordination among governments, producers, financial institutions and the private sector.

In Guatemala, FAO works together with the National Coffee Association (ANACAFÉ) and the Government to strengthen the coffee value chain. Through the One Country, One Priority Product initiative, it provides technical assistance and strengthens productive and business capacities. Through Hand-in-Hand, it supports the development of investment opportunities. And through the RELIVE/RESICLIMA project, funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the Green Climate Fund, it promotes more resilient agroforestry systems. In 2026, this initiative supported more than 1,000 coffee producers with technical assistance, seedlings and inputs to rehabilitate their plots and better address climate change.

In Panama, through the One Country, One Priority Product initiative, FAO, together with the Government, the Inter-American Development Bank, private companies and Indigenous communities in the Comarca, has strengthened capacities to improve production and quality. As a result of this collaboration, a new coffee produced by Indigenous communities trained by FAO reached the Panamanian market.

In Honduras, through the CLEAR Supply Chains project, funded by the European Union and implemented by FAO, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the International Trade Centre, producer families and farmers work together to prevent child labour through education, innovation and the adoption of safer agricultural practices. These efforts contribute to building a coffee sector that protects children’s rights and enables communities to thrive.

In Colombia, through the UN-REDD Programme and with support from the Economic and Social Reintegration Strengthening Agreement, FAO is strengthening 20 rural organizations in Urabá in traceability, deforestation prevention and digital tools for sustainable coffee and cocoa value chains.

In El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and Colombia, the Hand-in-Hand Initiative has structured investments of nearly USD 139 million that could benefit more than 271,000 people. These investments strengthen coffee value chains and expand development opportunities in rural areas through training, technical assistance, infrastructure development, equipment procurement and improved access to markets.

On this International Coffee Day, FAO renews its commitment to sustainable production, climate resilience and strengthening the livelihoods of those who make every harvest possible.