Nestlé offers regenerative farming as coffee perk

In the time for Coffee Month this October, Nestlé Philippines, through The NESCAFÉ Plan, the Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI), and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) bared two joint initiatives that seek to advance the adoption of regenerative agriculture (RA) among marginal Robusta farmers.

Nestlé Philippines head of corporate affairs Joey Uy revealed that even though the Philippines is the second biggest coffee consumer in Asia, next to Japan, production of coffee beans has been dropping.

He said the Philippines is only producing 30,000 metric tons of Robusta coffee beans annually, while consumption has hit 200,000 metric tons, with a sufficiency level of 50 percent, resulting in the need for the country to import the said commodity from Vietnam and Indonesia.

 Uy said Project Coffee++, a farmer upskilling program led by the NESCAFÉ Plan and GIZ, is now underway to help farmers improve their economic and environmental resilience.

Likewise, the Coffee Crop Calendar and the interactive online certificate course on Regenerative Agriculture for Coffee Farmers developed by Nestlé Philippines and GIZ that is now live on the DA-ATI e-Learning website (http://www.elearn.e-extension.gov.ph), also a way to cater to the younger generation of farmers or digital natives who prefer online platforms to learn modern and sustainable farming methods anytime and anywhere.

“As we celebrate National Coffee Month this October, these two initiatives signify the importance of making Regenerative Agriculture a fundamental part of the way our farmers grow coffee and other produce,” Uy said.

“We believe that our efforts to train farmers on regenerative agriculture will help them become more productive and profitable, but more importantly, it is a critical first step in establishing low-carbon, climate-resilient coffee farms in the country.”

Improving lives, livelihoods

The roll-out of Project Coffee++, the next phase of the farmer training program of the Nescafe Plan and GIZ, targets to educate 1,500 more smallholder coffee farmers with an average of one to two hectares of farmland in Bukidnon and Sultan Kudarat, to bring the total of farmers assisted to 3,000.

Its predecessor, Project Coffee+ successfully helped 1,500 participating farmers from the same region to triple yields and income since 2018.

From an average of 235 kilograms of green coffee beans per hectare in 2018 (baseline yield), Project Coffee+ participants have achieved an average harvest of 886 kilograms in 2023.

To date, 84 percent of Project Coffee+ beneficiaries have already crossed the poverty threshold.

Project Coffee++ will provide technical and entrepreneurial knowledge to coffee growers through classroom sessions and training measures in the field.

Participating farmers will acquire capabilities in new and proven approaches such as good agricultural practices that help farmers produce more crops of good quality, enterprise skills to streamline expenditures and revenues, assistance in seeking financial support from lending institutions, and management principles that strengthen farmers’ organizations.

Traditional vs RA

Uy said traditional farming contributes to deforestation, water pollution, carbon emissions, and soil degradation. 

Farmers are among the most vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, and as the country increasingly experiences the effects of climate change, it is evident that this method of farming is no longer viable.

The Nestlé executive stated that a comprehensive new module on regenerative agriculture has been developed into the lesson plan to teach farmers how to replenish soil nutrition, promote biodiversity, and protect the health of water systems.

Rejuvenation and the use of improved varieties, agroforestry, intercropping, soil conservation practices and cover cropping, integrated weed management, integrated pest management, integrated nutrient management and landscape actions will be key elements of the RA training.

At the end of the course, farmers are expected to identify the agricultural activities that contribute to climate change and mitigate this by applying practical regenerative agriculture measures that are suitable to their locality.

“Regenerative Agriculture is no longer just an option, but a vital element in maintaining a vibrant farm ecosystem that can ensure countless good harvests tomorrow and beyond. Through Project Coffee++, we are helping to future-proof our farmers by upskilling them to grow coffee and other high-value crops responsibly and sustainably for generations to come,” according to Uy.