Discover a new definition –  Regenerative agriculture in coffee production

– TASTE THE ORIGIN –

In recent years, the concept of “sustainable coffee” is becoming more and more known. Producers, suppliers and consumers are aware of the need for responsible farming, trading and use of coffee with the community and the environment. To meet the needs of the sustainable coffee market, producers have innovated farming methods (such as agroforestry) to restore natural ecosystems and improve soil quality on coffee farms. These methods can be collectively referred to as regenerative agriculture. So what is regenerative agriculture and how does it benefit coffee farming? Let’s find out with 43 Factory Coffee Roaster through this article.

What is regenerative agriculture?

Although there has been a lot of research and practice on regenerative agriculture in the past, there is still no unified and clear definition. However, we can refer to some concepts through experts such as:

According to Ken Giller, an expert in Plant Production Systems at Wageningen University in the Netherlands: “Regenerative agriculture is a concept introduced by the Rodale Institute in the 1980s, based on the principles of organic farming. It includes taking care of the nutrient cycle and improving the quality of the soil.”

Rejane Souza, Vice President of Crop Knowledge and Agronomy at Yara said: “Regenerative agriculture in the coffee industry is about helping coffee farmers focus on quality and adaptability to climate change. climate change.

Barbara Novak, Global Technical Business Manager of the Food Chain Initiative at Yara, has a broader perspective when she says that regenerative agriculture is concerned with aspects such as climate and soil health. , resource efficiency, biodiversity and producer income. Its goal is to combine environmental protection and efficient production of crops such as coffee.

In addition, Joao Moraes, Yara’s Global Account Manager, said: “Renewable agriculture has to be results-based. This means that coffee production must ensure a more stable income for farmers by training them in the best production methods. It must also be environmentally friendly by ensuring soil fertility, water holding capacity, biological activity in the soil and abundance of living organisms.”

Thus, it can be understood simply, regenerative agriculture is a form of sustainable farming, aimed at improving soil quality, mitigating the effects of climate change and increasing income for farmers. It includes the application of production methods such as using organic fertilizers, planting shade trees, maintaining biodiversity, saving water, improving soil,…. Regenerative agriculture is considered. is a broad concept that can vary by location and type of crop. However, its overall goal is to combine environmental protection and efficient production of crops such as coffee.

Benefits of regenerative agriculture in coffee production

Regenerative agriculture is a new direction in crop farming. It not only has positive impacts on productivity and quality, but also ensures environmental and social sustainability.

Instead of focusing on yield and quality like traditional commercial farming models, regenerative agriculture is geared towards more natural cyclic crop production methods. Producers will have to adjust their farming practices to organic, agroforestry, etc. This helps to improve both coffee quality and production safely in line with more sustainable development. . Planting according to friendly methods and protecting environmental resources such as recycling production waste, saving water, improving soil quality with biological products, planting more shade trees, … helps to reduce the amount of waste. carbon emissions and increase land use efficiency, limiting climate change.

In addition, Barbara Novak said that as a whole, regenerative agriculture focuses on creating harmony between the three pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental and social. These three factors have a close relationship with each other, contributing to improving profits for farmers. For example, when the amount of chemical fertilizers and harmful emissions in the growing process is limited, the soil will have a better balance of nutrients and nitrogen, increasing the yield and quality of coffee, and increasing the value of the beans. higher and farmers have better profits.

In addition, according to Joao, regenerative agriculture is also a production method that helps change the way coffee is grown. It also helps to create a clearer supply chain and work towards the common goal of sustainable coffee production for the future. He emphasized that regenerative agriculture helps improve farmers’ ability to adapt to climate change, in order to protect coffee yield and quality. This is very important to ensure the economic stability of coffee producers.

However, the application of regenerative agricultural methods is not simple. Ken pointed out that growers need a lot of knowledge about growing conditions as well as a large capital to invest in materials, techniques, business and marketing activities, etc.

How to scale up regenerative agriculture in coffee production

It is clear that regenerative agriculture brings a lot of benefits to both the environment and the farmer. But it is often difficult for smallholders to convert to a new model. So how to scale up regenerative agriculture?

This expansion will take place quite smoothly for large enterprises. Because they are willing to participate when they realize the benefits for the brand, profit, and environmental sustainability. Large coffee farms with a large budget can easily spend big to adopt this production method. Therefore, it is necessary to promote marketing activities, research evidence showing market trends and long-term value of regenerative agriculture.

For farmers or small producers, this expansion is quite difficult because the conversion cost is a relatively large number. In addition, coffee growing communities in remote areas also face difficulties in accessing services and technical support. Therefore, the expansion to small farms needs to be done in phases. Following Barbara’s advice, organizations (government, non-profit, cooperatives, etc.) need to establish policies to encourage and support farmers to switch to regenerative agriculture, while monitoring progress closely. The transition to regenerative agriculture will require new financial models and digital tools to advise producers to implement new farming methods. This issue is being actively worked by Barbara’s Yara Food Chain Initiative with stakeholders in the coffee supply chain to develop new business models to create new opportunities for farmers. growing coffee, as well as digital tools to assist in measuring soil health, coffee yield, land use efficiency and carbon footprint.

It can be said that sustainable coffee is an increasingly popular trend in the international market, and regenerative agriculture is one way coffee farmers can meet this demand. This farming model will not only help protect the environment and increase yields, but it will also help prepare farmers for the new regulations that may emerge regarding sustainability certifications. To scale up regenerative agriculture, a step-by-step plan is needed to change farmers’ farming methods and communicate its importance to consumers globally. And you, are you using coffee produced by regenerative agriculture? If you are interested in it, visit 43 Factory Coffee Roaster to experience and understand more about them.

Reference: perfectdailygrind

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