Coffee farmer increases income and productivity with regenerative practices
Sustainability is no longer just a competitive differentiator but has become a strategic necessity in global coffee farming. Faced with the growing impacts caused by climate change on agricultural production, companies have been intensifying investments in initiatives capable of increasing the resilience of crops and ensuring the future supply of coffee.
This is the case of JDE Peet's, one of the largest global companies in the coffee sector, which maintains a program focused on regenerative agriculture and strengthening producing communities. Present in more than 100 countries and responsible for globally recognized brands, such as Jacobs, Douwe Egberts, Peet's, L'OR, Senseo, Tassimo, Moccona and Pilão, JDE Peet's considers sustainability one of the pillars for the continuity of its business.
Investments in regenerative agriculture are part of the global Common Grounds program, JDE Peet's main sustainability platform. The initiative brings together projects developed in different coffee producing countries and aims to strengthen the resilience of the production chain, improve farmers' living conditions and reduce the environmental impacts of production.
According to the company, the program is structured around three pillars: responsible supply, reduction of the environmental footprint and development of producing communities. Initiatives include training farmers, monitoring soil quality, encouraging the use of bio-inputs, conserving water resources, family succession in the field and adopting sustainable management practices.
"Strengthening the resilience of the coffee production chain is a priority. The future of the activity depends on the producers' ability to face climate challenges and continue producing profitably", highlights Bruno Ribeiro, the company's sustainability manager.
Climate change
Severe frosts, prolonged periods of drought, irregular rains and heat waves have marked coffee production in recent years. These phenomena directly affect the development of crops, reduce productivity and increase production costs. And it is in this context that regenerative agriculture emerges as a resilience tool.
More than preserving resources, the concept seeks to restore the health of agricultural ecosystems through actions that improve soil fertility, expand biodiversity and strengthen the ability of plants to resist adverse conditions.
"Sustainability only works when it generates concrete benefits for those in the field. The producer needs to preserve natural resources, but also needs to be economically viable and competitive", highlights Ribeiro.
In Brazil, with the aim of validating these practices in different production realities, a pilot project was implemented involving 30 properties located in three of the main Arabica coffee producing regions in the country: Sul de Minas, Cerrado Mineiro and Alta Mogiana, covering properties with different profiles, from small family farms to highly technified systems.
"Many producers started modestly and expanded the areas under regenerative management after observing the first results", says Natália Vasconcelos, sustainability manager at Syngenta, one of the project partners
Family tradition
One of the properties that became a reference in the initiative belongs to coffee farmer Roberto Marchi, with a long tradition in coffee production. Owner of a farm with 57 years of history, he has always sought to incorporate new technologies "without losing the principles that built our history", he says.
According to him, regenerative agriculture applied to the approximately 18 hectares he maintains in production has brought a new perspective on the management of the property, especially in relation to soil health and long-term sustainability.
Among the most significant results observed in the project is the recovery of soil quality. Analyzes carried out at depths of up to 80 centimeters demonstrated significant improvements in the physical, chemical and biological indicators of coffee plantations, which can be perceived through correction of soil acidity; better use of applied nutrients; increased microbiological activity and deeper and more vigorous development of plant roots.
Another important advance was recorded in the control of nematodes, currently considered one of the main threats to the productivity of Brazilian coffee plantations.
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The benefits observed were not restricted to agronomic aspects. Sensory evaluations carried out after harvest indicated a gradual evolution in the quality of the coffees produced on Roberto's farm.
This is because more physiologically balanced plants are able to go through periods of climatic stress with less impact on the filling and maturation of the fruits, directly reflecting on the final quality of the drink. On Roberto Marchi's farm, the project was implemented in mid-2024. In around two years, the results were impressive: productivity grew by 46%, to 58.5 bags per hectare, the score of the melhour drink increased by 6.38%, to 89.19 and the increase in income reached R$ 25 thousand per hectare
For the industry, investments in regenerative agriculture represent more than an environmental agenda. This is a strategy to ensure the continuity of production in a scenario of growing global demand and increasingly complex climate challenges.
The initial results of the project reinforce the perception that regenerative practices can simultaneously contribute to increasing productivity, improving grain quality and strengthening the economic sustainability of rural properties.
Source: CNN