Agroforestry Coffee Cultivation Provides Brazilian Amazon Farmers with a Sustainable Development Option

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Agroforestry Coffee Cultivation in Apuí

In Apuí, located in Brazil's Amazonas state, coffee farmers have shifted to a new coffee cultivation model—agroforestry—in nearly abandoned coffee growing areas. They discovered that this cultivation method can both generate income and preserve the original appearance of the forest.

Apuí's History and Migration

Apuí is situated along the Trans-Amazon Highway, near the border with Rondônia state. It became a municipality in 1987 through a development project implemented under Brazil's military dictatorship. In 1993, the Rio Juma settlement project was established in the region, which was the largest settlement in Latin America at that time, attracting immigrants from all over Brazil. The first immigrants came from Paraná state, followed by immigrants from other southern states of Brazil.

Many immigrants at that time were already familiar with coffee cultivation. Large areas of treeless land were flooded with sunlight and mixed with pesticides to begin traditional monoculture agricultural systems. For more than a decade, Apuí's coffee production was very high. As soil degradation occurred, farmers began abandoning their plantations around 2012.

Café Apuí Agroflorestal: A New Beginning

In 2012, with support from the Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon (Idesam), Café Apuí Agroflorestal became the first coffee cultivated in an agroecological system in Amazonas state. This system not only prevented cattle pastures from replacing old coffee plantations but also doubled the region's coffee productivity.

When Idesam experts arrived in the region, they saw an opportunity. In abandoned plantations, patches of forest had regrown, providing organic matter to the soil and shade for fruit trees. Coffee trees, in particular, adapt well to low-light conditions. This enabled experts to create a coffee cultivation model based on agroforestry systems in Apuí, where crops and other plant species are mixed together. Initially, each farmer received funding to restore one hectare (2.5 acres) of coffee plantation. This included distributing 10,000 seedlings of native Amazon plants in the first two years, including trees that could be used for timber, such as mahogany, as well as trees that could yield fruits and seeds, such as cacao and Brazil nuts. In addition to coffee, these plants provided farmers with extra income.

Productivity Growth and Project Development

When Idesam initiated the project, the region's coffee cultivation areas could only produce an average of 8 bags of coffee beans per hectare (60 kg per bag), far below the municipality's potential. After several years of continuous development and improvement of the project, the current average harvest per hectare in coffee cultivation areas is 15 bags. Idesam's director stated that with continuous development and improvement of the project, this number could grow to an average of 25 bags per hectare.

The Café Apuí Agroflorestal project is funded by the World Wildlife Fund, WeForest, and reNature. In October 2020, reNature provided a donation of €300,000 ($36,400), with the goal of increasing from 30 family farmers to 200 family farmers over the next three years. Farmers who have already joined the program will receive continuous technical support and subsidies of up to R$15,000 ($2,800) for materials, seedlings, machinery, and services.

Farmer Testimonials and Benefits

One farmer participating in the project stated: "We used to grow coffee with very little harvest and sold it very cheaply, earning almost nothing. Now, we can sell at higher prices, and our economic situation has relatively improved. We can buy more food and add refrigerators or stoves to our homes."

Project Director Reia stated: "We will get more families involved in this project because we want to create agroforestry corridors connecting different parts of the rainforest. The benefits of agroforestry cultivation include protecting biodiversity, enriching soil, reducing erosion, protecting water quality, and reducing the impacts of climate change."

Reia also stated: "Investing in the development of farmers is a way to counteract the progress of cattle ranchers. These farming families need to have conditions to stay on this land. If they leave their land, invaders will quickly enter, trees will be cut down, and it will become vast cattle pastures." Apuí is one of the cities with the highest deforestation rates in the Amazon region, mainly through slash-and-burn clearing. According to data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, 837 fires occurred from January to July 2020, the highest number in the past decade. In July, Apuí was the municipality with the most fires among the states that constitute the Amazon basin. In 2019, it was one of the top 10 cities with the highest deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon.

Climate Change and Coffee Production

A 2015 study warned that rising temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns would reduce global Arabica coffee production, lower quality, and increase damage from pests and diseases. Researchers from Wageningen University and the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) analyzed coffee-growing areas in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo states in Brazil and concluded that by 2050, climate change could lead to significant loss of land suitable for Arabica coffee cultivation. However, this study also showed that using agroforestry systems could reduce this loss.

Researchers stated that Arabica coffee produces well in an average annual temperature range of 18 to 23 degrees Celsius, and agroforestry trees create a microclimate for Arabica coffee trees that can reduce maximum temperatures by 5 degrees. In addition to creating microclimates, these trees increase pollination chances for coffee trees and natural pest control. They can also help recycle nutrients through the deposition of leaves and branches on the ground. Robusta coffee grown in Apuí is also sensitive to temperature changes. A study published in the journal Global Change Biology observed coffee production at nearly 800 farms in Southeast Asia over 10 years, showing that the ideal temperature for Robusta coffee production is 20.5 degrees Celsius, and as temperatures increase, the yield of this variety decreases.

Challenges and Future of Agroforestry

Since both coffee varieties are sensitive to climate change, there is growing recognition of using agroforestry techniques in coffee production. Researchers stated that farmers using agroforestry techniques need to understand how to regulate the amount of sunlight coffee trees receive at specific times of the year by planting trees. However, many coffee farmers lack such practical knowledge, which is the main reason for the slow adoption of agroforestry techniques.

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