Conservation International started working with Starbucks in Chiapas in 1998. The mission? Improving farmers' livelihoods — while conserving one of Mexico's prime forests.
So far, over a million coffee farmers on four continents have benefitted from the program. And now, these efforts could affect billions of people around the world: What started with coffee has grown into tackling carbon and climate change, throughout Mexico and beyond.
Find out what CI and partners, from local farmers to Arnold Schwarzenegger, are brewing in Chiapas — and how you can play a part.
About Chiapas
From its ancient pyramids and mist-shrouded rainforests to its colorful modern cities, here's what you need to know about one of Mexico's most unique states.
Ecology
Standing in stark contrast to the deserts covering northern Mexico, the lush forests of Chiapas thrive amid its high rainfall and humid climate. The state holds 30 percent of the country's fresh water, a resource that supports abundant wildlife and an agricultural system that sustains thousands of livelihoods. In the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountain range — where CI-Mexico's conservation efforts are focused — rural villagers share the cloud and pine-oak forests with monkeys, tapirs, jaguars, ocelots, iguanas, parrots and hundreds of other unique species.
History and Culture
Together with neighboring Guatemala, Chiapas is believed to be the cradle of Mayan civilization; archaeological excavation has unearthed ancient ruins dating from the classic Mayan era of A.D. 200-900. The arrival of the Spanish in 1524 took a significant toll on the indigenous population and set off a long struggle for territory and power. Guatemala and Mexico fought for control of Chiapas for centuries; for a brief time, it was actually an independent country, before being reincorporated into Mexico in 1842.
Although Chiapas is one of Mexico's most resource-rich regions, it is also the country's poorest state, a reality that has led to civil unrest. In 1994's Zapatista rebellion, masked rebels took up arms to fight for the collective and individual rights historically denied to indigenous Mexicans.
Coffee in Chiapas
The Spanish first introduced coffee to Mexico in the late 18th century, but it wasn't until after the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s that commercial coffee cultivation really took off. Production exploded in the 1970s with the help of new higher-yielding agricultural methods. These days, Chiapas produces most of Mexico's coffee, which itself is the world's sixth-largest coffee producing country. Chiapas is currently home to about 121,000 coffee farmers, 90 percent of whom grow their crop on less than 5 hectares (12 acres) of land.
Threats
High poverty levels lead many rural farmers to seek additional farmland for production of coffee, as well as subsistence crops such as corn and beans. This places increasing pressure on the remaining forested areas. Cattle ranching is another major driver of deforestation in the state, as many rural Chiapas residents view ranching as a more economically viable alternative to farming.
Halting deforestation in Chiapas is made especially challenging due to the fact that most of it is happening on small plots of land, which are difficult to regulate. Working with our local partners, CI recognizes that in order to reverse this dangerous trend, we must start from the ground up and provide alternative economic development opportunities for the people of Chiapas.