Location:
Central America
Clients:
Catholic Relief Services, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Partners:
Keurig Green Mountain
Service Areas:
Our Expert:
The reliability of water supply is decreasing across Central America due to land degradation, overexploitation, pollution, and a changing climate. Poor agricultural practices in coffee cultivation can drive deforestation and negatively impact water resources by contributing to erosion and declining water quantity and quality. Blue Harvest is a program coordinated by CRS as part of CRS’ Water Smart Agriculture Initiative in Central America. The program focuses on protecting and restoring drinking water sources in the coffee lands of Central America by promoting sustainable coffee production and processing practices. The Blue Harvest WBC was developed to support this initiative.
The WBC provides valuable information for coffee farmers and institutions regarding the hydrologic benefits of existing and planned management interventions. The tool can be applied to identify the most impactful practices for controlling erosion and increasing recharge.