Strategies and economics of farming systems with coffee in the Atlantic Rainforest Biome

In the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, family farmers are adjusting to agroecological principles to reconcile sustainable agriculture, livelihood improvements and biodiversity conservation. Starting in 1993, experimentation with coffee agroforestry was gradually initiated on an increasing number of farms (37 in total), resulting in the simultaneous management of sun coffee (SC) and agroforestry coffee (AF) plots. We aimed (1) to identify factors that determine the farmers’ selection of trees used in AF; (2) to describe the agroecological farms in transition; and (3) to perform an economic comparison between AF and SC. These objectives were addressed by combining data from botanical surveys in 1993/1994 and 2007, by interviews with farmers and by detailed data on the production value and costs of labour and material inputs. The results showed considerable diversity in farming strategies and management among the farmers. Early adopters of AF had diversified towards production of different marketable products. The use of native trees in AF for this purpose, and for restoration of soil fertility (e.g., leguminous trees), had increased since the start of the experiments, while exotic tree species were eliminated. Over a period of 12 years AF was more profitable than SC due to the production of a diversity of agricultural goods, despite somewhat higher establishment costs. Other ecosystem services delivered by AF, such as biodiversity and cultural services are currently not valorized. Payment schemes for environmental services could further improve the economic benefits of AF for family farmers and alleviate establishment and learning cost

Soil quality and farm profitability: A win-win situation

Farmers are more likely to adopt and adapt improved soil management strategies if their efforts lead to an immediate economic benefit. An encouraging policy environment, as well as farmer organisation also stimulates the adoption of conservation practices. In Mexico, farmers are adapting their maize-based cropping systems to conservation agriculture, leading to both higher profits and soil conservation

Operationalizing the soil health metaphor to create sustainable food systems, with a focus on smallholder farming in the Global South

- Restoring / enhancing soil health is key for sustainable intensification and regenerative agriculture in the Global South, while reducing vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change. - A flexible framework is proposed that can be used to target, monitor and adapt soil health interventions with relevant stakeholders - Development of biological soil health indicators and assessment methods require more research – given the key role of soil biology for soil health/functions - High fertilizer costs, attention for soil health have led to the promotion of “smallholder-friendly” “biofertilizers” especially in Latin America, but scientific evidence and mechanistic understanding is lacking. - Robust, hypothesis based, experimental research is needed to develop targeted, proven methods, alongside feasibility studies and development of business model

Weerbare landbouwsystemen voor de akkerbouw

Biodiversiteit staat hoog op de politieke en maatschappelijke agenda. Door afname van biodiversiteit neemt ook de weerbaarheid vanuit de bodem, plant en gewas af. Voor biologische landbouw is deze weerbaarheid juist een belangrijke voorwaarde voor een goede kwaliteitsproductie. Akkerranden, compost en teelt op stroken kunnen helpen

Cadmium in cacao: why it occurs, how it is regulated, and why it is a concern for producers

The Clima-LoCa project is a regional project led by the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), implemented with research partners from Latin America and Europe and funded by the European Commission. This project contributes to the objectives of the 2018 call for “Climate- Relevant Innovation through Research in Agriculture” of the EC-led platform DeSIRA (Development-Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture), based on the ambition to improve research mobilization and innovation capacity contributing to the sustainable development of the cacao sector. The project addresses important challenges related to the resilience, competitiveness, and inclusiveness of the growing cacao sector. Here, resilience refers to the capacity of smallholder producers, and other value chain actors, to mitigate the negative impacts of new EU food safety regulations on cadmium in cacao, and of climate change. https://climaloca.org/. This first Policy Brief of the Clima-LoCa project deals with commonly asked questions about the origin of cadmium in cacao and about the interpretations and consequences of the EU food safety regulations. Key Messages: plants and can pose health risks to humans when cacao is consumed; food safety regulations, especially since 2019 in the European Union, restrict acceptable concentrations of cadmium in cacao products such as chocolate and cocoa powder. This has ramifications for the cacao sector worldwide as many farmers, particularly in Latin America, may lose market access if they cannot meet these regulations; actors across the cacao value chain, including farmers, must be informed and supported to adapt to these regulations

Cadmio en cacao: de dónde viene, cómo se regula y por qué preocupa a los productores

Clima-LoCa es un proyecto regional liderado por la Alianza de Bioversity International y el Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), implementado en colaboración con socios en investigación de América Latina y Europa y financiado por la Comisión Europea. Este proyecto contribuye a cumplir los objetivos de la convocatoria de 2018 sobre “Innovaciones relacionadas con el clima mediante investigación agrícola” de la plataforma liderada por la CE, DeSIRA (Development-Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture), que se basa en el anhelo de mejorar la movilización de la investigación y la capacidad de innovación para contribuir al desarrollo sostenible del sector cacaotero. Este proyecto aborda desafíos importantes relacionados con la resiliencia, competitividad e inclusión del creciente sector cacaotero. Aquí, resiliencia se refiere a la capacidad de los pequeños productores y otros actores de la cadena de valor, de mitigar los impactos negativos de los nuevos reglamentos de inocuidad alimentaria de la UE sobre cadmio en cacao, y del cambio climático. https://climaloca.org/. Este primer número de Políticas en Síntesis se ocupa de preguntas frecuentes acerca del origen del cadmio en cacao y acerca de las interpretaciones y consecuencias de los reglamentos de inocuidad alimentaria de la UE. Mensajes clave: El cadmio es un metal pesado que se produce de manera natural en el suelo, es absorbido por las plantas de cacao y puede suponer un riesgo para la salud de los seres humanos cuando se consume cacao; los reglamentos de inocuidad alimentaria, en especial a partir 2019 en la Unión Europea, restringen las concentraciones aceptables de cadmio en productos del cacao, como el chocolate y el cacao en polvo, esto tiene repercusiones para el sector cacaotero a nivel mundial, pues muchos agricultores, en particular de América Latina y el Caribe, perderían su acceso a los mercados si no logran cumplir con dichos reglamentos; los actores de las cadenas de valor del cacao, entre ellos agricultores, deben recibir información y apoyo para poder adaptarse a dichos reglamentos

Visual Assessment of Soil Structure as an Early Indicator of Soil Quality in Response to Intensive Rotational Grazing

Grasslands can play a crucial role in mitigation of global warming by serving as carbon sink. Nevertheless, to achieve the grasslands’ potential, sustainable management is of the utmost importance as it determines system’s productivity and ecosystem services. Due to the increasing demand for animal products in developing countries, grazed areas increase exponentially in the tropics, mainly due to unsustainable management leading to low productivity and soil degradation. We evaluated the impact of intensive rotational grazing management (IRG) on early indicators of soil quality following land-use change based on on-farm observations of visual soil characteristics using two different widely used assessment methods: visual soil assessment-VSA and visual evaluation of soil structure-VESS. Correlation of visual methods were combined with measurements of soil macrofauna abundance and physical properties (e.g. bulk density, soil porosity). The IRG established in two study sites in Colombia was compared with traditional long-term continuous grazing with low stocking rate (1 LU ha-1). The IRG was based on rapid (1 day) cattle grazing in paddocks with high stocking rate (180 LU ha-1) followed by 60 days of recovery. In both study sites, IRG increased considerably total stocking rate to 4 LU ha-1 while improving grassland composition by enabling more valuable species, which contributed to soil quality and increased grassland productivity. Both VSA and VESS discriminated IRG-managed sites in less than one year after IRG adoption. Our results demonstrate that visual soil assessment is a useful mean for evaluation of soil quality and grassland productivity. Furthermore, VSA and VESS seemed to be more suitable in discriminating among management in early stages, when compared to commonly used soil physical properties, and were strongly correlated mainly to the abundance of earthworms. Furthermore, our study confirms the importance of grazing management in soil quality and ecosystem productivity/sustainability

Effects of the EU food safety regulation on cadmium on the cacao value chains of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru

This briefing note combines information from three country reports conducted between 2021 and 2022, as well as relevant findings from the available literature to examine the current state of knowledge of the spatial distribution of Cd content in cacao farms in the three countries, how the EU regulation has affected different stakeholders, and how they are managing the problem. With the information presented in this document, we also improve and update literature available to date. The effects of the EU food safety regulations on cadmium in cacao (EU 488/2014 – EU 2021/1323 of 10 of August 2021) vary markedly between and within countries due to differences in markets and value chain structures. The regulation has caused severe localized impacts in specific cacao growing areas, nevertheless in general the impacts have been minor. Exporting companies and cooperatives are facing operational cost increases of up to 20%, related to Cd mapping, blending of cacao beans, increased traceability demands, marketing efforts, and additional laboratory testing. They also experience substantially lower prices and foregone incomes from changes in their clients. This has been critical for specialized cooperatives and producers in areas with high bean Cd. Changes in export destination for cacao during the last 4 years cannot solely be attributed to the regulation, but these represent foregone incomes in 2020 of nearly USD 3.4 million in Peru and USD 1.6 million in Colombia, equivalent to 2.4% and 6% of the countries’ cacao export value respectively. Adoption of similar food safety regulations by other importing countries may further limit the adaptation capacity of exporters and cooperatives

Regenerative agriculture for low-carbon and resilient coffee farms: A practical guidebook. Version 1.0

For decades, global coffee consumption has grown, as tastes and offerings for consumers have increased around the world, and global demand for coffee will continue to grow in the years to come. At the same time, climate change presents coffee producers and other supply chain actors with major challenges. Its impacts are already reducing the area that is well suited for growing coffee, and this lends urgency to the adoption of farming strategies than can secure future coffee supplies and the livelihoods of coffee-producing families. Major efforts are also needed to lower the contribution of agri-food systems, including coffee, to climate change and other negative environmental impacts, such as land degradation and biodiversity loss. Regenerative agriculture provides coffee producers with a means to transform their farms by restoring and conserving soil, water and biodiversity, thus building resilience in the face of climate change. This approach also creates opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon storage on farms, while increasing farm income through diversification. Regenerative agriculture offers the further advantage of flexibility, based on principles that apply to both small- and large-scale production across many diverse conditions. As a result, this approach can address multiple environmental and production challenges in ways that are socially and economically viable. Designed for field agronomists and technicians in the global coffee sector, this guidebook aims to help identify the best regenerative practices and adapt them to different origins, farm types and agroecological conditions. Each region and farm type has its own requirements. For this reason, we highlight key principles and a wide array of practices that can be applied flexibly and combined to enhance the sustainability and resilience of coffee farms. In other words, this guidebook describes the “what” and “why” of regenerative agriculture but does not prescribe “how” it should be implemented. Instead, we offer tools that enable agricultural extensionists to support farmers in the transition to regenerative agriculture by selecting the practices that best match specific needs, objectives and available resources, and by adapting them to the local context