Agrochemicals in coffee production: c&c kicks-off awareness month

The use of agrochemicals in coffee production is not getting enough attention and awareness. It holds threats and potentials. But there are also enough cost-saving, environment friendly and healthier alternatives to agrochemicals.

Misuse of inorganic inputs in smallholder coffee farming is challenging environment, climate, and health. The safe use and handling of agrochemicals needs to be improved and the coffee sector should play a bigger role in this. Unproper usage is an underestimated problem. Because of climate change, pest and disease pressure is likely to increase in many coffee regions. Although climate-smart practices are the best choice for an integrated pest and disease management, many smallholder families lack the knowledge on biological or “traditional” control mechanisms. Therefore, despite the hazards, they often depend on the use of agrochemicals to maintain a stable coffee production.

Therefor the initiative for coffee&climate kicks off an agrochemicals awareness month during November 2021. With Blogs, Newsletters, a social media campaign on the coffee&climate LinkedIn account and a webinar, c&c offers a platform for the coffee sector to connect, exchange and develop ideas how to improve the safe use and handling of agrochemicals in coffee production.

And the discussion will go beyond that. Reduction of application of inorganic fertilizers can help coffee farms to become more carbon neutral. Alternatives based on traditional techniques or using organic coffee farm wastes will be explored as well. The c&c implementing partner Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS) joins the discussion to include the interlinkage between agrochemicals and the overall livelihood situation of smallholder coffee farmer families.