In East and Central Africa, rising temperatures are having a major impact on coffee cultivation, among other things. Since 2006, the IITA (International Institute for Tropical Agriculture) has been investigating the benefits of the CBI (Coffee Banana Intercropping) method, i.e. the co-cultivation of coffee and bananas. The research has shown that growing these crops together contributes to all three cornerstones of sustainable agriculture.
Credit: Neil Palmer (CIAT)
To understand the importance of finding the best practices for sustainable agriculture, we needed to understand what sustainable agriculture means. To our delight, we found that our values go hand in hand with the three cornerstones of sustainable agriculture: increased productivity and income for farmers, increased resilience of livelihoods and ecosystems, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
IITA research has shown that co-cultivation of coffee and banana increases the productivity of the cultivated area by more than 50% compared to growing only one crop. It is worth noting that co-cultivation does not affect the volume of the coffee harvest. Bananas also diversify production, which increases food security (access to food) during dry seasons. In addition, the cultivation of bananas can compensate for the loss of income when planting new coffee plants. It takes about 2-3 years for a coffee plant to reach its full potential. Bananas are a fast-growing herb that provides a harvest all year round.
The banana plants also provide valuable shade for the very climate-sensitive coffee plants, and when the coffee berries are allowed to ripen slowly in the shade, they develop a more complex flavor.
On average, intercropping can help sequester about four times as much carbon as unshaded monocultures.
In eastern Uganda, over 85% of coffee farmers have at least one CBI plot. According to researcher Piet van Asten, at IITA in Kampala, Uganda, the results were spectacular. However, the disadvantage tends to be competition between the different plants for water, nutrients and light. This is managed through good agronomic practices, such as integrating manure and organic nutrients into the crop, managing plant density and canopy appropriately, and practicing good soil and water management.
In about two weeks, Rutasoka, together with an agronomist from the coffee cooperative we work with in Congo, will start a pilot project. In this, we will train groups of 10 farmers in climate-smart agriculture while also taking action and planting banana trees among their existing coffee plants. The project is financed through reinvestments from coffee sales. Thank you to those of you who buy our products, you make projects like this possible.
