More coffee, less CO2: towards a carbon-neutral coffee in Ecuador and Peru

But rising temperatures, increased pest risk and unpredictable rainfall threaten this dream. Expanding the agricultural frontier poses additional problems to increasing C02 emissions: deforestation, water depletion, loss of biodiversity. Producers and their organisations are faced with investments that increase every year. They have to make decisions based on the information they have at hand.  

More and more farmers are starting to see how climate change affects them and see their livelihoods threatened. They recognise the impact of their production on mitigating and reducing carbon emissions. And they know that the future of sustainable production lies in addressing critical areas of the production process and using agroforestry systems.

Results

• In Ecuador, Farmer Field Schools have been developed as a training programme, validated by the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), to train producers and technicians in the coffee sector on key issues such as the Life Cycle Approach and agroforestry system management.
• In Ecuador, the project completed a pioneering formulation of vulnerability analysis and mechanisms for GHG reduction and carbon sequestration in the coffee chain. The report categorises the GHG mitigation and sequestration parameters applicable to coffee production and provides an interpretation of climate change. It also addresses best practices for low-carbon coffee production, including a focus on the conservation of carbon sinks in forests, which is fundamental for the Amazon region.
• In Peru and Ecuador, 35 technicians and producer leaders have been trained to provide technical assistance and guidance on life cycle analysis and sustainable agroforestry systems.  
• In Peru, 44 technicians and producers in Cajamarca have been certified in the use of life cycle analysis with the support of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP).
• In Peru, multi-stakeholder spaces such as the Cajamarca Coffee Multi-stakeholder Platform and the Amazon Coffee Technical Roundtable are being consolidated to promote carbon sequestration solutions.
• For Peru, the project produced a guide for the design and implementation of agroforestry system models based on the LCA methodology, a public technical document calling for collective action to implement climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, as part of a knowledge management and awareness-raising strategy.
• In Peru, the PMACC (facilitated by Rikolto) has formalised a specialised multi-stakeholder committee for the co-creation of policies and strategies at the sub-national level. Three leading organisations, the National Service of Protected Natural Areas - SERNANP, the regional government of Cajamarca and the Red Técnica del Norte cooperative, are developing a carbon neutral coffee roadmap for the Cajamarca region.