Peru is the world’s leading producer of certified Fair Trade and organic arabica coffee. Coffee is grown along the eastern slopes of the Andes, spanning 17 of the country’s 24 regions. With over 202,000 mostly smallholder farms averaging just over a hectare, the sector supports nearly a third of Peru’s agricultural workforce. Over 70% of the country’s total production comes from smallholder farmers, ~20% of whom participate in the country’s strong culture of cooperative farmer organizations. National priorities in the National Coffee Plan 2018-2030 include improving productivity through sustainable practices—in part through the promotion and propagation of new varieties and coffee plantation renovation—as well as enhancing quality consistency and expanding global demand.1 While coffee was Peru’s top agricultural export for two decades, it now faces growing competition from crops like grapes, avocados, and blueberries. Still, coffee accounts for 25% of Peru’s agricultural income.2
1. Peru National Coffee Plan, JNC, 2018.
2. UNDP, Peru: Sustainable Coffee.
