Nescafe promotes sustainable coffee farming practices

Through the Nestle Experimental and Demonstration Farm (NEDF), a non-profit agricultural training center in Tagum City, Davao del Sur, world leading coffee brand Nescafe continues to educate the Filipino coffee farmers on modern and sustainable methods of coffee farming.

The NEDF provides free technical training to coffee farmers to help them improve their yields significantly and reduce the time before harvesting.

With advice ranging from planning the coffee farm to planting and cultivating coffee, NEDF is making sure that coffee farmers have the means to improve their livelihood and sustain the local coffee industry.

For instance, NEDF agronomist Zenon Alenton laments the fact that some coffee farmers still use coffee wildings to start their coffee farms when better seeds and seedlings are readily available at NEDF at cost price.

"Coffee is a 50-year crop," says Alenton. "If you plant bad coffee trees today, that means you will harvest bad coffee for the next 50 years."

NEDF runs free comprehensive coffee agriculture training programs from three days up to three months year-round. For farmers who can not afford to go to Tagum, NEDF will send its team of agronomists to conduct training off-site.

Planning the coffee farm

Alenton says there is no substitute for a well-planned coffee farm. Plant at the onset of the rainy season to make sure the soil is moist but not wet.

"Do not rush planting," Alenton advises. "There is no advantage in planting six- to eight-month old seedlings. There will hardly be any growth during the first dry season."

Instead, plant only 14-month old seedlings. This practice not only yields bigger, healthier and stronger coffee plants but also enables the farmers to use the land to plant and earn from other cash crops during the nursery period. In addition, the practice allows farmers to avoid the costs associated with weeding and other risks to the coffee plant in its first year when it is most vulnerable.

"Seedlings kept in the nursery for a longer period are sturdier and will grow even during dry months making them easier to establish," Alenton reveals. "Best of all, harvest comes one year earlier."

Good farm practices for higher yield

"It’s very important to keep weeds under control since they compete with coffee plants for nutrients, sunlight, and water resulting in lower yields later on," says Alenton.

This is best done by strip weeding, the removal of weeds one meter from the base of the trunk of coffee plants. Alenton adds there are other ways of weeding such as manual, mechanical, chemical and mulching and the best way depends on specific farm conditions.

Manual weeding is applicable for smaller farms using family or hired labor. It involves the use of bolo or scythe. Unfortunately, it is a slow process that is labor intensive and less efficient.

Mechanical weeding, with higher initial investment, is faster, cheaper and more efficient in the long run while chemical weeding, which involves systemic or non-systemic spraying, provides longer effective control of weeds but requires skilled applicators.

Mulching, probably the most cost effective among others, requires the application of organic matter such as decomposed coffee hulls, rice hulls, and plantation debris to control weed growth.

"Mulching offers several advantages," says Alenton. "It prevents weed growth, retains soil moisture, improves soil structure and helps soil erosion."

These are some of the coffee farming methods taught by NEDF. To maximize the potential of their farms, Alenton encourages coffee farmers to take any of their free coffee farming training programs or request for Nescafe’s numerous helpful brochures on planting, cultivation, and harvesting coffee.

Nescafe continues to support and promote sustainable agriculture practices worldwide. Recently, NESCAFÉ sponsored the first ever Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform Philippine Convention at the Crowne Plaza in Ortigas Center. There, it gathered key movers and decision-makers from the food industry in the Philippines to spread the importance and relevance of sustainable agriculture for future generations.

The SAI Platform allows members to access an extensive worldwide database of programs on sustainable agricultural practices.