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Last year, TechnoServe released a report that found investing in regenerative agriculture could boost smallholder farmer income and reduce carbon emissions. In a new companion paper, published on July 9, the nonprofit worked with Sustainable Food Lab to add what they call a “living income lens” to that research.
Regenerative agriculture is an increasingly popular approach to coffee production. It has become a catch-all term for a range of sustainable farming practices, which can include utilizing shade trees and cover crops or restoring degraded soil and water systems.
Building on Technoserve’s initial findings, the new report added a living income analysis which “helps translate projected income gains into a clearer picture of household well-being,” the report authors wrote. Basically, can regenerative farming practices help farmers reach living income benchmarks within the context of specific countries and circumstances.
The report defines living income as “the earnings required to afford a decent standard of living in a given locale.” It focuses on seven coffee-producing countries: Honduras, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Peru, and Indonesia. The baseline earnings for the typical coffee-farming household in each country currently fall short of a living income, the report found.
Transitioning to regenerative agriculture practices can “meaningfully change that picture,” Sustainable Food Lab’s program manager Molly Leavens wrote in an announcement blog post. However, she continued, “the story varies by country.”
In its 2025 report, TechnoServe outlined a ten-part framework for regenerative coffee farming. This included renovation and replacement of aging coffee trees; soil conservation and cover cropping; preventative and environmentally friendly weed, pest, and nutrition management; and protection and management of water sources and wastewater.
Adopting the recommended regenerative practices would allow the average farmer in Ethiopia and Vietnam to achieve a living income, the report found. In contrast, farmers in Honduras and Kenya could close the gap significantly. However, even if they adopted more regenerative practices, farmers in Uganda, Peru, and Indonesia would reach only half the living income standard. The report attributes this to small farm size, low productivity, and/or high production costs.
Closing the gap and helping more farmers transition to regenerative practices requires action from across the supply chain. “What farmers are paid, and how they receive payment, are critical determinants for achieving a living income,” the report states. Other support should include technical assistance and both public and private financing to help farmers offset the loss of coffee income that can occur in the first two years of transition due to renovated plots and upfront investment costs.
The authors also note that some households with very small landholdings won’t be able to achieve a living income through coffee alone. For these households, off-farm income opportunities and subsidies will be key.
The report concludes with a call to action, urging the coffee industry to collaborate on a regenerative transition while placing farmer incomes at the heart of any plan. “Achieving a living income at scale requires coordinated, sector-wide action across agricultural value chains,” the authors wrote.
Read more on regenerative coffee farming and living income here.
Photo by Shelby Murphy Figueroa on Unsplash
