Description
Cooperativa San Carlos was established in 1980, made possible by agrarian reforms that were implemented by the El Salvadorian Government to redistribute land to small farmers. The 672 hectare farm runs from 1100 to 1665 masl on the Cacahuatique Mountain, which during the civil war in the 1980’s was a strategic strong point for the Government Opposition Forces, as it allowed views from its summit far around the region.
The farm has 126 associate members, who live with their families on the farm as a group and farm coffee as a collective, with the land split into 25 separate lots. Originally, they just grew pacas and bourbon but have recently added a small amount of Pacamara within the higher altitude plots of the farm. The wet mill and patios for processing the coffee are situated at 1400 masl up the mountain, providing a perfect location for drying the coffees as it is situated facing north/north east – the direction of the prevailing winds. This helps to maintain stable temperatures for drying coffees.
Having helped implement a new processing system, the cherry is floated before being pulped leaving 100% of the mucilage intact. From here the coffee is then placed on raised African Beds with cover, where the coffee is dried for 12 – 16 days at temperatures between 28 – 38 degrees down to 11% moisture.
San Carlos Dos is also part of the Blue Harvest Program (started in 2016) run by Catholic Relief Services, which looks at helping to address water tables and areas highlighted for water shortages in Central America. They were chosen due to the Morazán department being highlighted as a potential area for famine due to the lack of water available and poor soil health. This program was initiated during a time when production was dropping and leaf rust (‘la roya’) was causing devastation to the coffee lands in El Salvador.
On the land, the members of the cooperative and started to implement good soil and water management practices, minimising the use of agrochemicals and promoting organic fertilisers and implanting better practises for land management. They manage and maintain 338 infiltration wells that help to provide drainage for rainfall. The Cocahuatique mountain provides the water source for the town of Osicala and these changes are helping improve the water supply to the community and families. As well as the water supply, these changes have also seen an increase in the average yield on the land per manzana, taking it above the average for El Salvador. This year, due to the increase in the water table from the land management practices, they are now able to supply water to the local town of Osicala who receive a fresh supply of water every 4 days. In the future there will be a pipeline built from the farm to the town so water is readily available every day within people’s houses.
