BACKGROUND

On June 3rd, 2018 the Fuego Volcano erupted, sending a river of lava down its southeastern face, killing 110 people, leaving nearly 200 missing, and directly affecting several thousand more through physical and psychological trauma and damaged infrastructure.

The Yepocapa township sits 7km (~4 miles) from Fuego’s crater. As a result of the eruption, several metric tons of sand and ash covered the entire Yepocapa region. Hundreds of families lost much of the crops they eat and sell. The heavy, caustic material severely damaged crops and other foliage in the area, including the hundreds of coffee parcels that provide the single most important source of income in the region. 

This disaster came on the heels of the coffee leaf rust epidemic, a severe drought, and more than a decade  of extremely low and fluctuating market prices. 

Addressing the damage to agricultural systems requires a long-ranging, multi-faceted approach that, to be effective, must be built on a combination of science, technological advancement and local customs, culture and knowledge. It must be long-term and not a quick fix, addressing the underlying issues of poor profitability and lack of autonomy that have been obstacles to progress in the Yepocapa region for some time.  

With support from friends in the coffee industry, most notably the Austin, Texas based Briggo Coffee, Inc., the Del Fuego Project was born. The US-based 501(c)3 has the mission to build on scientific investigations and strong relationships with several organizations of smallholder farmers   with a long-term approach designed to help the Yepocapa farmers recover from losses brought by the eruption, and ultimately become more resistant, resilient, and autonomous.