![]() “Farming vegetables is very costly with only an income during the harvest, while coffee gave us money the whole year round”.Īs we moved further into Dairi District, we were taken aback by the incredible dynamic and integrated farming practices. “If we would have had a more stable production, we would have never cut down the trees” lamented one smallholder coffee farmer. Now, with coffee prices higher, smallholders were regretting their decisions to cut down their plantations and were asking for assistance to renew and replant their fields. Pests and diseases, such as the coffee berry borer and fungi damaged almost half of the crop. In discussions with local extension workers and smallholders, we learned that not only were low coffee prices to blame, but also the lack of productivity of the coffee bushes. Fields that were once known for its high-end Arabica, were now producing carrots, potatoes, and chilies on a large scale, but also with a significant use of fertilizers and pesticides. Although we expected coffee in this first zone, it was quite a surprise to discover that most smallholders had abandoned coffee during the years 2017 – 2019 as low coffee prices forced them to make a change. As we exited the jungle area, the landscape quickly changed from jungle to farmland.
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