For Diego Urbano, an 18-year-old student in southern Colombia, coffee is in his blood. He was born into a coffee-producing family and now, after joining a project boosting the use of technology in the sector, he is passionate about continuing that tradition - with an innovative twist.
“As young people, we want to continue building our future in the countryside – by being innovative in the way we produce, market and consume,” Diego says.
As part of the project, Diego and 29 other students from the Educational Institution La Victoria were trained in coffee harvesting, filtration and barista processes to encourage young people to embark in the coffee sector. As they began to understand more about the cultivation process, they became increasingly concerned about their current coffee farming methods and how they would fare with the changes in climate and the frequent droughts that the area experiences.
An FAO-led project brought together these 30 students and their parents, who are all members of the Asoprocaffe coffee association, with the association of coffee producers from the Tablón de Gómez area to address the issue. Together, they developed the 'Smart Agro' project to counter the effects of climate change and promote the efficient use of water through two modern concepts: Big Data and the Internet of Things (IoT).