From January to March 2005 BBC World will profile examples of the kind of project we are looking for in the Hands On
short form programmes. These examples will also be profiled in Newsweek in a special advertising feature.

Click an image below to view project.

8. BEANS FOR TREES:
Under The Shade In Colombia

Over a decade ago, the bottom fell out of the coffee market, leaving farmers little choice but to tear out their coffee fields and replant them with other crops. Valle De Cauca, Colombia, is an area of unparalleled biodiversity. But this incredible ecosystem was threatened in the early 90's when coffee growers switched to cattle ranching as a way of earning income.

Freddy Munoz Munez is a field manager for a joint initiative between the Colombia Coffee Federation and CICELB (Conservation International's Center for Environmental Business Leadership). Munez's job is to persuade farmers to preserve the existing forest on their land by cultivating coffee in it natural habitat-under trees. It's an eco-friendly alternative made possible by a partnership with Starbuck's, a guaranteed international market.

Planting coffee in shade helps preserve the fragile ecosystem because it stems soil erosion and eliminates the need for pesticides. Shade coffee farmers are paid a premium above local market prices as an incentive to participate in the CICELB program. But the benefits extend beyond profits. "So far, we have reintroduced 18,000 different tree species and encouraged the use of organic compost and other measures," notes Munez. "We have given coffee farmers the opportunity to improve their quality of life and preserve their environment."