Protect International Foundation and join hands with Disney Company, Coffee changes fate

Coffee changes fate! Not just on that bleary-eyed Monday morning.

Now, guests eating at designated restaurants in Disney World and Disneyland Resorts can support the protection of the living environment of Peruvian farmers by buying coffee!

These coffees come from the Alto Mayo protected forest in Peru.

This is an important part of the Amazon forest and is home to a lot of organic coffee in Peru. Alto Mayo protected forest covers an area of 1821 square kilometers, twice the size of New York City. This is the home for the survival of the local community.

However, unsustainable coffee cultivation still exists in this protected forest, with trees being cut down to expand the woodland, threatening the land and threatening more than 3400 species of birds and plants. What is more noteworthy is that the disappearance of tropical rainforests releases more greenhouse gases than the sum of global car emissions, which will exacerbate global climate change.

The Conservation International Foundation (CI) and the Disney Company have been working together for nearly 30 years. Since 2009, the Walt Disney Company has been supporting Alto Mayo's REDD+ project in Peru by buying carbon targets. At the same time, by partnering with Disney, CI has been able to promote sustainable coffee farming practices in Alto Mayo: ensuring that forests are not destroyed, higher unit yields, higher farm wages, and conservation of biodiversity and water resources.

In March this year, the Alto Mayo Forest Integrated Services Cooperative, or COOPBAM, was awarded one of the best companies of the year in the San Martin region of Peru for its excellent business performance. This honor is awarded annually by the Peruvian Association of Private companies and represents the efficiency and overall quality of the products and services provided by Peruvian companies. By 2016, COOPBAM had exported more than 43 tons of high-quality coffee, including Joffrey's Coffee and Tea, a supplier to Disneyland.

With the support of Disney and through the Alto Mayo Conservation Initiative, CI works with Peru's national conservation agency and local farmers to protect the forest and provide benefits to local communities, such as agricultural training, education, medical facilities, etc. In return, more than 960 families promised not to cut down trees in the Alto Mayo forest.

CI and Disney have jointly conducted local training on sustainable planting methods, including the cultivation of coffee under the forest, the production of organic composting, coffee tree construction and the prevention of coffee leaf rust. This series of training has affected the lives of more than 240000 people whose livelihoods are deeply dependent on the Alto Mayo basin. The continuously enhanced level of management and technology has not only increased coffee production by as much as three times, but also greatly improved coffee quality. At the same time, the income of coffee farmers has also increased due to the quality of coffee. Therefore, they no longer need to cut down trees in order to increase their acreage.

"here, people's quality of life depends on the services and resources provided by nature reserves, both now and in the future." Said Luis Espinel, vice president of the Conservation International Foundation.

Recently, the conservation agreement is being renewed, and more than 120 families have renewed their commitment to continue to participate in the protection of forests and natural capital. CI is working hard to get more people involved in our protection efforts.

The sunset in the Alto Mayo forest

The next time you taste this special coffee at the Disneyland Resort, you are working with CI to help the people living in the Alto Mayo Forest community and the forest.