Smallholder farmers like the Chehs live on the edge of survival, and it is difficult to try something new when one mistake can mean hunger or worse. Their blended family of ten children was among the poorest in their village. So when World Renew came in 2011 talking about raising coffee and creating a better future, Te was skeptical. A few months later some prominent villagers who were interested in coffee cultivation participated in an exchange visit in a nearby village. There they saw coffee farmers who were paid in cash for their harvest and a factor  where the beans were processed. They talked with the factory owner who assured them that he would buy their product for cash at a fair rate if they grew the crop.

“It is precisely because I have a big, blended family that I must start doing something to provide for them…This will be a family business and when our kids are old enough, they will have their own plantations and provide a good living for the entire family.”
– Te Cheh

When these villagers returned from their visit they gave an enthusiastic report, but few people agreed to try it. It takes three years of cultivation for coffee plants to mature and produce a first crop of cherries. Raising opium is a much faster and more lucrative enterprise—although it is illegal. 

Te was an opium smoker, and he had to weigh his habit and the risk of prosecution against the risk of investing his time and energy in a long-term but legal product like coffee.

The following year a few of the wealthiest families in the village decided to grow coffee and constructed a tree nursery and installed a water system. They received seeds, materials, and other help from World Renew. Te walked by the nurseries regularly to check things out. Eventually, he begged a few leftover coffee plants from some field workers to try out on his own small plot of land.

In early 2013, Te and Cha decided that participating in the World Renew nursery project was worth the risk, and by June they had planted 3,000 little coffee trees. Te is one of six poor families who have joined the project. They expect to process their first coffee harvest by the end of 2014.

Te also says that he has been able to kick his opium habit. “When I was addicted to opium, I had little time to provide for my family,” he said. “My concern for the future of my family and an opportunity get ahead was the motivation I needed.” Why would Te take such a risk?

“It is precisely because I have a big, blended family that I must start doing something to provide for them, and growing opium is not an option. So I’m going to expand coffee planting every year from now on. This will be a family business and when our kids are old enough, they will have their own plantations and provide a good living for the entire family.”