FARMER SCHOOL

ABOUT FARMER SCHOOL

Farmer School is a 12-month incubator designed to equip smallholder women coffee farmers with the necessary training, peer support, and seed funds to establish resilient farm businesses and break free from the cycle of food insecurity and poverty.

IMPACT

$257

increased annual income per farmer

40%

boost in farmer knowledge across key training areas.

89%

of participants say their business wouldn't have grown without the program

Program components

During the four month intensive part of the program, cohort participants attend weekly virtual workshops covering topics that are instrumental to helping gain clarity to grow sustainable farm businesses.
Bean Voyage delivers some curriculum as well as bring in third-party trainers and experts.
The final deliverable is an action plan which participants can use to diversify farm income.
Each farmer that completes the program will access to a pool of micro-grants.
This grant will be distributed in two installments, one in November and one at the end of the program in January.
Participants use this grant to build on their business idea developed during the training phase.
Participants are connected with other smallholder women coffee farmers in the Bean Voyage network.
We bring a variety of subject matters to offer masterclasses on relevant and timely topics.

Current Farmer Schools

[*click on the map to learn more about each country’s program]

Who we work with

Our participants are smallholder women coffee producers who fit the following criteria:

Working on farms of less than 10 hectares.
At least one year of experience in coffee production, actively involved in cultivation and processing.
Land ownership is not required, but coffee must be their primary source of income.
Basic reading, writing, and math skills, with a desire to learn and strengthen business capabilities.

Meet Maria Fernanda Robles

Maria Fernanda, a smallholder coffee farmer from Tarrazú in Los Santos, Costa Rica, was facing a tough situation in 2021. Like many others, she was grappling with food insecurity and struggling to provide for her family in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. But despite the challenges, she found a glimmer of hope when she enrolled in Bean Voyage's food security program, a collaboration with the Starbucks Foundation and the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (ICAFE).

With a lot of determination and the support of Bean Voyage, Maria Fernanda took a bold step forward by applying for a seed fund to start a beekeeping project. She began with just six bee colonies, and by the end of 2022, her apiary had doubled to a thriving twelve colonies.

Her entrepreneurial drive didn’t stop there. She launched her own honey brand, Sueño Dulce (Sweet Dreams), which quickly found its way into local supermarkets. In just her first year of operation, her honey brand has already earned over $1,200, bringing in much-needed additional income to support her family.

Maria Fernanda’s journey shows the powerful impact of the Resilient Communities Initiative. With the right resources and support, smallholder women farmers like Maria Fernanda don’t just survive; they thrive, building strong, sustainable businesses that provide for their families now and into the future.