Colombia is the world’s third-largest coffee producer and the main producer of Arabica coffee, which is known worldwide for its quality. The nation began developing commercial production in 1870, which now accounts for 22% of the national gross domestic product (GDP). According to the National Federation of Coffee Growers, there are approximately 560,000 farms in the country dedicated to coffee production, most of them small scale and accounting for 15% of total production.

Coffee in Colombia has become part of the national identity and is also considered part of its cultural heritage. Besides this, it has been of vital importance for the economy, representing up to 80% of total exports, and is undoubtedly partly responsible for the changes that took place between 1870 and 1930, which allowed for the integration of the country’s economy and generated positive political and social effects.

However, only 5% of smallholder farmers are technically efficient (TE), reflecting poor agronomic management strategies such as inadequate uses of inputs, irrational uses of fertilizers and pesticides, low phytosanitary control and monitoring strategies, lack of labor and substandard production conditions, among other factors.

The main coffee-producing departments of the “cafetal zone” are Risalda, Caldas, Antioquia and Quindío. Coffee in these areas is considered a cultural heritage and is mainly grown in a kind of full-sun system. By contrast, there are other regions where coffee grows in less optimal conditions, known as the “low marginal zones,” as is the case for the department of Meta. It was initially established between 400 and 900 meters (1,300 to almost 3,000 feet) above sea level, where peasants developed a way to cultivate it under forest cover and mix it with timber trees, in what’s known as agroforestry coffee systems. There in the mountains of the Eastern Cordillera, coffee found its best niche for cultivation, making this region a potentially top coffee producer in the country, particularly in the municipalities of Mesetas and Uribe.

However, according to a report on main crops of the area by Municipal Agricultural Evaluations (EVA/UPRA), Meta department has a total planted area of 539,010 hectares (1.33 million acres), where the main product is oil palm and then maize, rice, soy, plantain, sugarcane and cacao, in descending order.

This region has high ecological importance as two of the most essential biomes converge at this point: the Amazon forest and the Andes mountains, forming what is known as the Andean-Amazonian piedmont. The Andes are considered a hotspot of biodiversity because of the high rate of floral and faunal endemism, while the Amazon provides one of the most vital ecosystem services: around 15% of the world’s freshwater.

Nevertheless, this region faces a strong transformation of landscapes and ecosystems, as a result of accelerating deforestation and the advance of the agricultural frontier. Also, this region is immersed in a social and political context of armed conflict, illicit crops (like coca) and forced displacement, where the non-Indigenous peasants found a potential sustainable alternative to their agricultural activities by planting coffee in the forest, transforming conventional systems to agroforestry ones.

This zone was one of the main focal points of the FARC guerrillas in Colombia, and was one of the territories that cultivated the most coca, so it is one of the best examples of the transition to peace through the transformation of its production systems. The Uribenses themselves (the name given to people born in the municipality of Uribe) and the displaced coffee growers from other regions of the country affirm that this is a small step in the transition to peace.

The fact that they have formed a coffee cooperative that allows the processing and sale of this product says a lot about the positive progress. On the other hand, most Colombians do not even know that coffee is grown in this zone. Thus, Uribenses try to sell their products beyond Uribe and Mesetas, but due to the lack of recognition, have found it difficult to achieve this goal.

Also, despite this attempt to generate more sustainable production systems by increasing the diversity of timber species and intercropping, while not cutting native trees on the same property, there is a significant lack of coffee TE in this zone, and an evident knowledge gap in understanding accurate agricultural management practices. This represents one of the biggest challenges to the sustainable agriculture transition process. Thus, peasants in countries like Colombia, though extremely rich in terms of ecosystem services, need more technical and educational support.

In my scientific research, I have found that many of the coffee growers are displaced by violence (most of them from neighboring departments such as Huila and Tolima), and others are illiterate. Their only knowledge of pests and disease control for coffee comes from recommendations shared among themselves, so they end up buying chemical products sold locally.

Many times, they could not even reach the urban center to buy such products, so they applied any chemical they found at home against pests and diseases. Others did not know about the biological control of coffee pests such as the coffee berry borer (CBB) — which in this case is the fungus Bauveria basiana — and those who knew about it stated that they did not have access to the product because it was not sold in the municipality.

In addition, most coffee growers expressed concern about the low profitability of coffee, saying that the maintenance of coffee plantations is becoming increasingly complex, and that they see it as an unprofitable activity, in a region where coca was the first option for livelihoods. Despite this, their interest in better management practices and continuing to apply them for better production were noted. Some also expressed a lack of knowledge and/or skepticism of agroecological practices that can be more sustainable, such as the use of compost and organic matter from within the farm for fertilizer, use of companion crops for higher production, and using biological control for natural pest regulation.

Thus, the challenge now is to provide adequate information about agricultural management, from phytosanitary practices of chemical, biological and cultural control of pests and weeds, to planting methods and use of native varieties, among other techniques. In an area that is a historical victim of armed conflict, accelerated deforestation and extension of agricultural borders, coffee can potentially become a successful industry for this biodiverse and unique region now in a process of building peace.

There is an evident search for sustainable agricultural practices, but this requires much more attention from the scientific community and civil society. Farmers need technical assistance in coffee management and phytosanitary practices, so more scientific research is imperative.

This, then, is a call for people to realize that in this forgotten region, coffee is grown in a different way than most people know, and that its cultivation requires attention to continue improving, progressing, and providing income to those who work the land.

It is also a call to understand that the transition to peace is not only about politics, but in the way in which the land is cultivated.

Juliana Cajiao Raigosa has an academic background in agroecology, conservation and landscape ecology in Colombia.

Banner image: A woman stands among coffee bushes in Colombia. Image courtesy of Juliana Cajiao Raigosa.

Related audio from Mongabay’s podcast: A billion people drink coffee daily but most are unaware that this product’s supply chain is riddled with environmental and human rights problems, but solutions like agroforestry exist, listen here:

See related reading:

From scarcity to abundance: The secret of the ‘peace farmers’ of Colombia

Study highlights environmental and economic benefits of agroforestry for DRC coffee crops

Citation:

Perdomo, J. A., & Mendieta, J. C. (2007). Factores que afectan la eficiencia técnica y asignativa en el sector cafetero colombiano: Una aplicación con análisis envolvente de datos. Desarrollo y Sociedad, 1(60), 1-45. doi:10.13043/dys.60.1

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