VnSAT project returns coffee trees to the wild

World coffee trees leave the forest canopy to increase production

Since its discovery, coffee has been a shrub that grows wild in the forests of Ethiopia and southern Sudan (unspoiled Arabica bushes are  still found in Ethiopia today ). Until the 1970s, most coffee was still grown in traditional agronomic systems (which mimic natural forests).

However, with the introduction of synthetic fertilizers and then the Green Revolution to increase yields and fight rust. Agronomists have introduced the "Full Sun" monoculture system, in which most of the farms are deforested, coffee is grown in dense hedges and with a growing process for loads of chemical fertilizers and drugs. insecticides. The consequence of this growing method is that coffee yields increase rapidly in a short time but the quality of coffee decreases significantly.

The VnSAT project brings coffee trees back to the wild to adapt to climate change

In Vietnam during the past three decades, coffee trees have flourished with large monoculture coffee growing areas covering the Central Highlands region. Coffee has become one of the crops that make an important contribution to the revenue of Vietnam's agricultural industry in particular and to the entire national GDP in general.

However, like in other countries in the world, the abuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is having an adverse impact on the quality of Vietnamese coffee. In addition, Vietnam's coffee industry also faces the problem of climate change with global warming causing many coffee growing areas to lack irrigation water, leading to a decrease in yield and quality of coffee trees.

Recognizing these difficulties, the Sustainable Agriculture Transformation Project in Vietnam ( VnSAT for short ) has spent 3 years researching and successfully building a model of growing coffee under the forest canopy, also known as the landscape. coffee for stable productivity, improving coffee quality. This is considered an effective climate change adaptive coffee growing model and brings stable income for coffee farmers in the Central Highlands.

The landscape coffee model of the VnSAT project is built with 3 ecological floors. The first is a high layer of trees including fruit trees and pepper plants to cover the sun, dew and wind to regulate the garden temperature. The middle floor is for growing coffee and the lowest is for growing grass vegetation.

According to Mr. Pham Van Thach, Director of Dak Nong Organic Agriculture Cooperative (Dak R'Moan Commune, Gia Nghia City) said: “The application of weed management to replace herbicides helps farmers save water for irrigation. due to reduced water evaporation and moisture retention, reduced use of pesticides, and healthy plants. Since then, the quality of coffee has been improved, and there is no residue of glyphosate in the product, making it easier for Vietnam's coffee exports, especially to the European market. In 2021, the cooperative's coffee trees are bountiful, yielding 3.5 tons/ha. Of which, about a quarter of the output meets the standards of organic coffee.”

Benefits of growing coffee trees in the shade

• Shade plants act as a natural mulch and add organic matter and minerals to the soil. In the case of shade trees that are legumes, they also help fix nitrogen, which contributes significantly to soil fertility.
• The natural canopy provides protection against extreme temperature changes between day and night. While the root system prevents erosion, the leaf system helps limit the transpiration of coffee plants. Properly selected and maintained shade trees can help reduce stress caused by drought.
• By maintaining higher biodiversity on the coffee farm, there are potential benefits in terms of yield due to more abundant pollinators and pest control due to the presence of other natural enemies.
• Shade plants can reduce the growth of weeds, especially grasses, weeds found on shaded coffee farms are less harmful and easier to control.
• Finally, by planting trees that shade the fruit group, farmers can increase their income through harvesting fruit, wood or other products…

All these positive contributions make shade-grown coffee a more environmentally friendly and sustainable system than a monoculture without shade trees. However, farmers must adjust the shade to suit their farming goals. Improperly managed shade trees can significantly reduce yields, exacerbate disease or compete for nutrients with coffee trees.