Farmers’ Voice Radio is transforming the lives of millions of farmers and rural communities through the power of radio. The most recent Farmers’ Voice Radio Academy trained organisations across Latin America to produce their own Farmers’ Voice Radio programme series, which will amplify the voices of coffee producers and complement their existing work to improve the lives of rural communities.
The latest Farmers’ Voice Radio Academy programme took place at the end of 2024 in partnership with the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers (CLAC). It was designed for organisations working with small-scale coffee producers in Peru and Central America, with all content delivered in Spanish.
Thirty-three individuals from 12 organisations (9 coffee cooperatives from Peru, one from Nicaragua, one from Honduras, and CLAC’s communications team from El Salvador) gained the skills, tools, and confidence to produce their own participatory radio programme series.
This first training programme will result in radio broadcasts reaching thousands of smallholder coffee producers. These farmers will gain knowledge and increased confidence to find solutions to the challenges they face in coffee farming and building a coffee business, contributing to more sustainable livelihoods.
For more information about the next Farmers’ Voice Radio Academy course, starting in May 2025, visit the FVR Academy page. There, you will find details about the training programme, eligibility criteria, and the application form. The deadline for applications is 23rd April, 2025.
The Huadquiña Agrarian Coffee Cooperative, located near Cusco, Peru, won the Farmers' Voice Academy small grant competition and received $3,500 USD to broadcast radio programmes in Quechua language that raise the voices of coffee producers in the region. The team plans to broadcast on two stations, reaching a target audience of 2,000 families, of which at least 1,300 are coffee producers.
These radio programmes will expand the reach and impact of the cooperative’s training for its members, focusing on sustainable land management, building resilience to climate change impacts and compliance with new EU regulations. Their research has shown that many communities in this region do not have internet access, and that coffee-producing families listen to the radio for 3 to 4 hours a day.
Omar, who works for Huadquiña Agrarian Coffee Cooperative, explains why he wanted to learn how to produce radio programmes:
“We have a target audience of 310 coffee-producing members of the cooperative, staff, and the general audience of non-associated producers in the district of Santa Teresa. We want to communicate and inform our members about the organisation's activities, technical, productive, and social topics, and quality control. We also aim to share information about procurement policies, financing, and the national and international market situation. Farmers’ Voice Radio could help achieve the following outcomes: better-informed, trained, and educated members, leaders held accountable through these radio spaces and more engaged staff committed to the cooperative”
Erick Pastrana was also a participant in the online training course and received one-on-one coaching from the Farmers’ Voice Radio team. Erick is the Head of Certifications and Projects for the San Marqueña Coffee Cooperative Ltd. in the Southern Region of Honduras.
Erick explains why he wants to learn how to produce radio programmes:
"We want to directly address coffee quality in relation to climate variability, inform producers about quality based on agronomic management, and link it to meteorological conditions. This will help provide guidance and technical recommendations tailored to producers' experiences."
Regarding the training, Erick said that the course was:
"Excellent, very grateful for everything discussed [….] The integration of experience and discussion was deepened for easy understanding. Today, this course takes me to another level, where I can reach producers more clearly through the structure of each programme, allowing me to address different topics of interest based on quality and climate understanding. I am happy to be part of the course, as it helps me learn and design better ideas to support producers.”
Erick plans to produce a radio programme that will reach thousands of coffee producers in his remote region of Honduras, focusing on motivating young people about the viability of a future for coffee farmers in specialty coffee.
Jhon William Muriel Arias works for the Valle de Incahuasi Agrarian Coffee Cooperative in Cusco, Peru. The cooperative sells specialty coffees to the U.S. market and has participated in various national and international specialty coffee competitions, receiving recognition for its high cup quality. The organisation contributes to improving the livelihoods of its members through efficient management of services, commercialization, agricultural credit, capacity development, and post-harvest infrastructure.
Jhon said:
"I am a fourth-generation coffee farmer’s son, living in the heart of Peruvian coffee production, and I understand the realities of rural life. That’s why I am interested in the Farmers’ Voice Radio Academy, whose sole purpose is to transmit important messages about new coffee philosophies, agricultural production techniques, as well as health, nutrition, family planning, and other social and cultural issues [….] The idea is to connect producers, and radio is the ideal medium—the target audience is the entire producer’s family."
We are excited to hear the radio programmes produced by these organisations and to see their impact in these remote coffee-producing communities.
The Farmers’ Voice Radio Academy in Latin America would not be possible without the generous support of the following companies and organisations:
Coffee Circle Foundation
Manchester, Dublin and Birmingham Coffee Festivals (Cup North and Husky Events)
Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust
Souter Charitable Trust
Pignatelli Foundation
Southall Trust
Austin Bailey Foundation
Coffee companies- Dark Woods, Clifton Roasters and Dog n Hat
Thank you to all our amazing supporters and partners!
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