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

Indicadores biofisicos de la Estructura Agroecological Principal (EAP) para el co-deseno de SAF cacao en dos zonas productora de Tumaco (Narino)

El co-diseño de sistemas agroforestales (SAF) implica entender la estructura y función de los sistemas, no solo a nivel productivo, sino también a nivel ecosistémico y cultural. Lo anterior, porque las decisiones que toman los agricultores, sobre cómo arreglar espacialmente los sistemas productivos, responden a motivaciones productivas y no productivas, las cuales se basan en la experiencia y evidencia empírica local. Sin embargo, estas decisiones pueden ser mejor orientadas a partir del análisis de información cartográfica, indicadores de paisaje y de aspectos socioculturales. En este trabajo, enmarcado en el programa rutas PDET para la estabilización territorial, se caracterizaron 100 unidades productivas agropecuarias (UPAs) de cacao en dos zonas productoras del municipio de Tumaco (Nariño). En el presente trabajo se exponen los resultados de cuatro indicadores biofísicos que han sido usados para el análisis de estructura agroecológica principal (EAP), como herramienta de co-diseño de los SAF cacao a nivel predial, pero también como instrumento de planificación a escala de paisaje. La conexión de las UPAs con la Estructura Ecológica Principal del Paisaje (CEEP) no muestra correlación con los diferentes parámetros de paisaje evaluados, sin embargo, si se identifica que UPAs cacaoteras con arboles de más de 10 años tienen mayor conectividad con el paisaje, en comparación con UPAs de cacao de menor edad. Además, son estás fincas en las que hay mayor porcentaje de uso del suelo (USC) con coberturas diversificadas (SAF cacao, áreas de barbecho y zonas de conservación) y mayor conectividad externa (CE) con setos y cercas vivas. La conectividad interna (CI) de las UPAs es baja, y es quizá el indicador biofísico que más impacta de manera negativa la EAP. De lo anterior se interpreta que, bajo el análisis de paisaje, si bien los componentes de los SAF de cacao por si solos contribuyen en la EAP, hay que implementar acciones que mejoren la conectividad interna y externa, además del establecimiento y ampliación de áreas de conservación, que contribuyan a mejorar la integración de las fincas cacaoteras con el paisaje

Exclusion of soil macrofauna did not affect soil quality but increased crop yields in a sub-humid tropical maize-based system

Soil macrofauna such as earthworms and termites are involved in key ecosystem functions and thus considered important for sustainable intensification of crop production. However, their contribution to tropical soil and crop performance, as well as relations with agricultural management (e.g. Conservation Agriculture), are not well understood. This study aimed to quantify soil macrofauna and its impact on soil aggregation, soil carbon and crop yields in a maize-soybean system under tropical sub-humid conditions. A field trial was established in Western Kenya in 2003 with tillage and residue retention as independent factors. A macrofauna exclusion experiment was superimposed in 2005 through regular insecticide applications, and measurements were taken from 2005 to 2012. Termites were the most abundant macrofauna group comprising 61% of total macrofauna numbers followed by ants (20%), while few earthworms were present (5%). Insecticide application significantly reduced termites (by 86 and 62%) and earthworms (by 100 and 88%) at 0-15 and 15-30 cm soil depth respectively. Termite diversity was low, with all species belonging to the family of Macrotermitinae which feed on wood, leaf litter and dead/dry grass. Seven years of macrofauna exclusion did not affect soil aggregation or carbon contents, which might be explained by the low residue retention and the nesting and feeding behavior of the dominant termites present. Macrofauna exclusion resulted in 34% higher maize grain yield and 22% higher soybean grain yield, indicating that pest damage – probably including termites - overruled any potentially beneficial impact of soil macrofauna. Results contrast with previous studies on the effects of termites on plant growth, which were mostly conducted in (semi-) arid regions. Future research should contribute to sustainable management strategies that reduce detrimental impact due to dominance of potential pest species while conserving soil macrofauna diversity and their beneficial functions in agroecosystems

Gross nitrogen transformation rates do not support previously described BNI capacities of selected Brachiaria genotypes

Nitrification is one of the key processes leading to water contamination and greenhouse gas emissions (N2O) in pasture systems. As vast areas of tropical pastures are nitrogen (N) limited, grasses from the Brachiaria genus have adapted to reduce N losses and increase N use efficiency by releasing substances capable of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) in the rhizosphere. Although the release of BNI compounds and its impact on N2O emissions and net nitrification rates in soil have been studied, the impact of BNI on gross nitrogen transformation rates has not been addressed, despite its relevance to mechanistic understanding of this phenomena

Efectos de diferentes sistemas de uso de suelo sobre la diversidad de árboles, almacenamiento de carbono y calidad del suelo en el Bosque Atlántico del Alto Paraná, Paraguay

[Introducción]: La evaluación del suministro de servicios ecosistémicos por los diferentes usos del suelo de la agricultura familiar facilita plantear estrategias para el uso sostenible de la tierra. [Objetivo]: Se determinaron los efectos de diferentes usos del suelo practicados en la agricultura familiar, sobre la conservación de la diversidad arbórea y el suministro de servicios ecosistémicos críticos: almacenamiento de carbono aéreo y subterráneo y servicios de soporte que provienen del suelo, en la Reserva de Biosfera del Bosque Mbaracayú (Canindeyú, Para-guay). [Metodología]: Fue determinada la biodiversidad arbórea, el almacenamiento de carbono aéreo y de suelo, las propiedades químicas y físicas del suelo en 7 fincas con diversos tipos de cobertura: bosque nativo alterado, sistemas agroforestales con yerba mate, cultivo anual de subsistencia y pasturas. En cada uno de los puntos de muestreo, fueron registrados datos de los individuos arbóreos y arbustivos, y fueron tomadas muestras del estrato herbáceo, hojarasca y suelo. [Resultados]: Se registró mayor índice de diversidad y almacenamiento de carbono aéreo en bosques nativos alterados y sistemas agroforestales, sin diferencia significativa entre ellos. Los valores de CIC y Ca+2 de suelo fueron más elevados en los bosques nativos alterados comparado con pasturas, y los otros usos presentaron valores intermedios. No hubo diferencias significativas entre los diferentes usos en cuanto al carbono almacenado ni en estabilidad de la estructura del suelo. Sin embargo, las pasturas presentaron índices de calidad de suelo más bajos. [Conclusiones]: Se demostró que bosques nativos alterados y sistemas agroforestales aportan más a la conservación de la diversidad arbórea, retención de carbono y calidad del suelo

Responses of earthworm communities to crop residue management after inoculation of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758)

Earthworms are important for soil functioning in arable cropping systems and earthworm species differ in their response to soil tillage and crop residue management. Lumbricus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) are rare in intensively tilled arable fields. In two parallel field trials with either non-inversion (NIT) or conventional tillage (CT), we investigated the feasibility of inoculating L. terrestris under different crop residue management (amounts and placement). Simultaneously, we monitored the response of the existing earthworm communities to L. terrestris inoculation and to crop residue treatments in terms of earthworm density, species diversity and composition, ecological groups and functional diversity. L. terrestris densities were not affected by residue management. We were not able to infer effects of the inoculation on the existing earthworm communities since L. terrestris also colonized non-inoculated plots. In NIT and two years after trial establishment, the overall native earthworm density was 1.4 and 1.6 times higher, and the epigeic density 2.5 times higher, in treatments with highest residue application (S100) compared to 25% (S25) or no (S0) crop residues, respectively. Residue management did not affect earthworm species composition, nor the functional trait diversity and composition, except for an increase of the community weighted means of bifide typhlosolis in S0 compared to S100. In CT, however, crop residues did have a strong effect on species composition, ecological groups and functional traits. Without crop residues (S0), epigeic density was respectively 20 and 30% lower than with crop residues placed on the soil surface (S100) or incorporated (I100). Community composition was clearly affected by crop residues. Trait diversity was 2.6 to 3 times larger when crop residues were provided, irrespective of placement. Crop residues in CT also resulted in heavier earthworms and in a shift in the community towards species with a thicker epidermis and cuticle, a feather typhlosolis shape, and a higher average cocoon production rate. We conclude that earthworm communities under conventional tillage respond more strongly to the amount of crop residue than to its placement. Under non-inversion tillage, crop residue amounts affected earthworm communities, but to a smaller degree than under conventional tillage