Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491377
52 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 2, 2015 (April/May) said Lyva. "By joining, now I have access to all these meetings where we can decide our future. Before joining the Fair Trade, it was a free market nightmare because we didn't have the mini- mum price. Thanks to the social premium we have the chance to coordinate and to join a lot of women." It was a dream come true. The organization provided both the collective voice and resources to make changes. Initially, the Fair Trade premium was used to address food, security and health concerns. Doctors were brought into the community, both to treat patients and to train mothers to provide medical care for their children. Education became accessible, changing the lives and the future of both Lyva's family and her commu- nity. Aspro now sponsors scholarships for its members. Half of CECANOR's members are small producers located in areas of extreme poverty. Out of all of her siblings, Lyva was the only one to stay with coffee. She is 100% committed to both her own family's farm and the community. Ultimately Lyva inherited her father's land and is now the sole supporter for her own family. Thriving off the responsibility, Lyva was elected secretary of the board for ASPRO and a year later she became the president of the organi- zation. One of the biggest challenges, she said, is maintaining or- ganization both internally and externally. Today, Lyva describes ASPRO as both efficient and connected to the needs of each farmer. There are currently 177 active members of ASPRO and 77% are women. "We are really in touch with all farmers. We can say that we know every single detail on every single farm and we are really in touch with all of them," said Lyva. "It was a huge challenge because we didn't have that connection." Improving the lives of women has also been a mandate for Lyva and the co-operative. Currently a part of Café Femenino, women in the community have now become more actively involved in both the growing and production of coffee. "We as women take that responsibility to be involved in coffee. It's not solely a male activity anymore, we play an active role in the coffee production in our region," said Lyva. Part of Café Femenino's focus is to provide the training and resources for self-sufficiency. With these practices in place, Lyva has helped improve productivity and the quality of coffee on her own farm. "Café Femenino is different, because it's produced and owned by women. We really take good care of our product because we love what we do," said Lyva. "It's really hard work." Coffee quality is not the only focus; they also provide re- sources to improve the overall community. It is with their as- sistance that Lyva, and others in her community, were able to obtain the resources for new roofs on their homes. Now, Lyva not only has improved her income but her home as well. An entrepreneur, through and through, Lyva also sells her coffee at the local market. To ensure that her income is not restricted to one product, Lyva is currently diversifying her crops to include both coco and honeybees. This extra income has enabled Lyva to take care of her 75-year-old mother, Melida Alvites Gil, who is severely ill. With two hectares of land, Lyva aspires to continue to grow her income, planning to buy an additional hectare this year. Lyva foresees a future where farmers work together to improve their coffee. She aspires to strengthen the co-operative's relationship with the local government. It is Lyva's hope, that by doing this, Members of Central de Servicios Cafetaleros del Nor Oriente (CECANOR) pose for a photograph inside ASPROs main office in La Florida, San Miguel, Cajamarca, Peru. Photo by James Rodriguez Fair Trade USA