Coffee farmers face increasing challenges as competition for land, water, and other natural resources tightens and climate change brings new uncertainties. Traditional knowledge and experience gained over generations must be infused with new science and also extended through innovation. There is an ongoing revolution in the ways farmers learn to be more productive, sustainable, and resilient. Conservation and standard-setting organizations codify best practices into guidelines and provide training and market incentives to meet the standards. These groups, many other nongovernment organizations, government extension agencies, and coffee companies increasingly collaborate with farmers to improve training and information sharing methodologies. Farmers are shaping these techniques to ensure that the information they most need is included and that it is presented in ways they can comprehend and apply. Farmers are educating each other. The Internet, smart phones, and digital devices are becoming important tools, even for the most remote farmers. Consumers and markets are directly supporting the revolution in farmer knowledge by buying certified sustainable coffee.

Summary: Women in Nicaragua constitute about half the clientele of microfinance institutions. This is the result of a high concentration of women in the informal sectors and their difficulties to access official banks. In spite of the high participation of women in the microfinance programs in Nicaragua, there is still a debate about the effects produced by their services on the standard of living of these women. There are concerns related to the indebtedness of the poorest women, the high costs of loans for women, the lack of control of women over the credit and the lack of access to general resources to take advantage of the loans. This article discusses the concerns and possible solutions, and is based upon studies of national and international cases, impact studies in Nicaragua and the perceptions of different participants in the microfinance field in Nicaragua. Ideas, methodologies and models were identified through the systematization of these sources of information, and the expectation is to improve the orientation of financial services provided to women in Nicaragua. The recommended model is based upon two main strategic lines. First of all a financial one addressed towards the consolidation of the sector with the goal of providing a more efficient and inexpensive service, and to adjust financial products to the needs of women. And second, a social approach which searches for the articulation of financial and non-financial services, the control of women over the loans and their empowerment, as mechanisms to guarantee the positive impact of financial services. I Introduction Today, microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and Credit Programs constitute an important part of the financial services supplied to small and medium size entrepreneurs as well as small farmers. The services offered by the entities are crucial to facilitate the development of opportunities in these sectors and contribute to the development and growth of the country. The participation of women in microfinance programs is relatively high. In urban and rural areas, the feminine clientele represents 59% and 38% respectively (Agurto and Guido 2001), a result of the concentration of women in the informal sector. The multiple responsibilities of women and their education levels - relatively low - prevent their access to the formal banking sector, in which the representation of women is lower. Besides assuming practically all the reproductive activities, women in Nicaragua play an important role in the national economy. During the last few years, their participation in the labor market has increased dramatically from 18% in 1950 to 42% in 2000 and according to different forecasts this participation will continue growing (FIDEG, Agurto y Guido, 2001; CEPAL, 2000; PROMICRO/OIT, 2000). The increasing participation of women in economic activities has originated on the one hand by a change of attitude through which women and society have recognized the potential of women; and on the other hand, because many of these women are working to survive the present crisis suffered by Nicaragua. As a result of migration and