Many new farming techniques introduced into hundreds of coffee and pepper orchards have contributed to improving livelihoods for farmer households and reducing environmental degradation based on a systematic approach.
On May 21-22, 5 in Dak Lak province, the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in Vietnam in collaboration with the Central Highlands Institute of Agriculture and Forestry Science and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dak Lak province will organize a workshop: Building a sustainable coffee and pepper value chain, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change.
IMPROVE LIVELIHOODS FOR FARMERS AND REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
Mr. Tran Nam Anh, Deputy Representative of ACIAR in Vietnam, said: Vietnam is the world’s largest producer of Robusta coffee and black pepper, these two products are mainly for export. These two crops are concentrated mainly in the Central Highlands, providing direct and indirect livelihoods to more than 1 million farmers.
However, with the massive development of coffee, pepper and now fruit trees, the Central Highlands is facing widespread environmental degradation and inefficient land use.
According to Nam Anh, people apply intensive farming measures on a large scale, including excessive use of fertilizers, irrigation water and synthetic pesticides. These activities degrade the soil and increase soil-borne pests and diseases — which in turn causes the cycle to continue, the more people use chemicals that harm the soil.
In addition, the leaching of nutrients and synthetic pesticides into the deep soil layer also endangers groundwater. As a result, the Central Highlands is now one of the regions suffering from the most severe environmental degradation in Vietnam.
According to a study by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the WASI Institute, the current amount of water used to irrigate Robusta coffee in farmers’ gardens is 700 liters per plant. While research shows that a maximum of 400 liters per plant should only be used for mature coffee plants.
Project “Enhancing the sustainability, productivity and economic value of coffee and pepper farming systems and value chains in the Central Highlands” (VSCOPE project) funded by ACIAR; The International Organization for Agroforestry Research (ICRAF) chairs and coordinates with the Central Highlands Institute of Agriculture and Forestry Science (WASI) to implement in the period from 2021-2025.
- The project will contribute to improving livelihoods for farmers and reducing environmental degradation based on a systems approach. Namely, reducing production costs (reducing fertilizer use and irrigation); increase resource efficiency (improving soil health and fertility through intercropping/agroforestry models); prevent environmental degradation and improve food safety; take advantage of opportunities in the value chain; and integrating the system into other rural renewal programs.
- Dr. Phan Viet Ha, Deputy Director of the Central Highlands Institute of Science and Technology of Agriculture and Forestry (WASI), said that the Central Highlands is facing a worsening water shortage due to climate change and unsustainable agricultural production practices. For example, during the historic drought in 2016, hundreds of reservoirs dried up, causing more than 165,000 hectares of coffee to be affected, of which farmers in the Central Highlands lost about 40,000 hectares.
- WASI has conducted 4 experiments on nutrient leaching measurement in coffee and pepper cultivation, this research result will be the basis for proposing fertilizers for plants reasonably to save inputs and protect the environment. WASI has also conducted 30 trials on soil restoration using lime and biochar in coffee and pepper cultivation. The first step shows that lime and biochar have a good effect on the growth and development of coffee and pepper.
PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
Ms. Chau Thi Minh Long, Deputy Head of the Department of Agricultural Systems at WASI, said that the VSCOPE project has tested, evaluated and promoted sustainable agricultural practices, including smart irrigation systems adapted to climatic conditions. In practical models that have been deployed in farmers, it has been shown that young coffee plants only need about 100 liters of irrigation water per month and mature coffee plants about 200 liters per month.
Thanks to the shading of large trees, it also causes the amount of water in the soil to evaporate more slowly, resulting in saving irrigation water. On the other hand, coffee trees emit large amounts of greenhouse gases, while avocado trees, macadamia trees have a high carbon sequestration capacity, which will reduce emissions from coffee production.
In the first year of the project, the team designed and tested a new irrigation process and further adjusted it in the following years based on data on soil permeability rate, transpiration in plants and coffee yield. Specifically, the project is testing a sap flow system, which includes sensors to measure the transpiration of trees in real time to provide information about actual water consumption.
Along with that, sensor devices measure soil moisture at different depths to provide information about water availability. When harvesting coffee, from the measurement of yield and quality, we can see the correlation of irrigation water volume and production efficiency.
Since 2022, the team has been working on a model of intercropping coffee with pepper and fruit trees. Coffee trees need to have shade trees to reduce the intensity of sunlight for coffee trees to grow well.
A representative of the Vietnam Cocoa Coffee Association said that coffee yield should not only be “packed” by how many tons / hectare, but must be attributed to the value of revenue and profit per hectare. So there’s a very good term: Value chain. I think it is advisable to start introducing sugar measurements on emissions in the coffee value chain and it is necessary to add this criterion to the Project. It is necessary to calculate how much carbon coffee cultivation emits, thereby offering farming solutions to reduce emissions.
Studies on the coffee industry chain in Vietnam show that farmers only enjoy less than 10% of the total profit value of the whole coffee chain, this benefit is very low.
In the world, people sell a cup of Starbucks coffee at the same price as Vietnamese farmers sell 1 coffee nest. People trade coffee with major brands of the world, while buyers do not know that it is Vietnamese coffee.
In the past, commercial coffee production in our country was separated, farmers grew their own coffee, their own collectors and exporters were not linked to each other, resulting in profits that were enjoyed by coffee traders and exporters, but were not redistributed to farmers. Now connecting farmers through cooperatives, businesses, processing plants, has begun to work together to get that added value distributed again. Coffee growers must benefit more for them to be assured of production.
I see in the VSCOPE project, not only establishing a coffee value chain, but in this project there is a package of sustainable farming techniques, helping to protect land and resources. In order to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 0, we want coffee production not only to be a matter of cost, but also to pay attention to greenhouse gas emissions per ton of coffee. The solution of growing coffee trees interspersed with avocado trees, macadamia trees is very practical.