Story and Photos: Coffee ++ Thailand Project /Agriculture and Food Cluster
GIZ Thailand in collaboration with Nestle (Thai) and government partners under Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives led by Department of Agricultural Extension, Department of Agriculture, Land Development Department and provincial agricultural bodies organised the training-of-trainers session for “Regenerative Agriculture” during 22-23 April 2024 at Loft Mania Hotel, Chumphon province.
Up to 50 government officials from the related agencies including the Department of Agricultural Extension, Department of Agriculture, Land Development Department, Chumphon Provincial Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Office, Chumphon College of Agriculture and Technology and PUR projet participated in the recent intensive two-day training activity is marked as the pilot of the Coffee ++ Thailand project. The objective is to equip government officials at the provincial and community levels with knowledge and training skills related to regenerative agriculture promotion and implementation. Theory and practical sessions will enable the trainers to be ready for passing on knowledge learned from the module to the targeted 2,200 Robusta coffee farmers in Chumphon’s Ta Sae, Sawi and Patoh districts; Ranong’s Kraburi, La-oon and Ka Per districts; Prachuab Khirikhan’s Bang Saphan Noi district; and Suratthani’s Panom district during the implementation period of three years (Year 2023-2025). The project also aims to improve better livelihoods and ability to adjust climate resilience among coffee smallholders while supporting them to be a part of solution to climate change challenges facing the agricultural sector.
Tatrit Kunasol, Corporate Agricultural Services Manager of Nestle (Thai) Ltd. said: “Consumers around the world are giving importance and priority to sources of agricultural products, raw materials and other factors including child labour, prohibited chemicals, depletion of soil and water resources, agricultural waste released to public areas, and forest encroachment etc. Coffee is one of the key agricultural commodities that consumers increasingly pay more attention to product sources. Coffee has traditionally been cultivated in the shade of other trees particularly in the forest understory. As coffee consumers have been drastically increasing and whereas the coffee-growing areas are facing the impact of climate change, we have1 to ensure that those mentioned factors are taken into account. That’s why the regenerative agriculture is developed. We hope our Coffee++ trainers will be pass on knowledge learned from the training into practice, leading well-managed farming, reducing the climate change impact on the environment and us.”
Dr. Prayoon Songprasert, Chairman of the Thai Coffee Farmers Association, said “Coffee productivity in Thailand used to be as much as 100,000 tonnes/year. However, our productivity has been drastically dropped due to policies and climate change. Coffee farmers are at risk of income and product loss due to prolonged drought. Knowledge on regenerative agriculture will enable both the trainers and the farmers to be climate resilient and more productive without encroaching the forests and the environment.”
Suban Rakthong, Chumphon Provincial Agriculture Chief, said “Farmers are facing the severe impact of climate change, resulting in less coffee process. The principle of regenerative agriculture into practice will help mitigate the impact while slowly creating sustainability of coffee smallholders at the upstream. All related offices need to work together and seek ways to enable coffee smallholders to understand the concept of regenerative agriculture, adapt and adopt their farming practices while embracing new technologies to boost coffee productivity while reducing ecosystem damages.”
Mr Suban also said that the coffee-growing land in Chumphon was continuously dropped from over 200,000 rai to about 60,000 rai. The Office of Agricultural Economic estimated that there would be only 40,000 rai of coffee-growing land in 2024. Coffee smallholders switched to grow durian due to higher prices. Currently Vietnam can produce coffee as many as 477kg/rai compared to our capacity of average 92kg/rai. Despite declining coffee-growing areas, drinking coffee is regarded as a lifestyle and that regenerative agriculture implementation can be a solution for effectively boosting coffee productivity per rai and farmland management in the long run.
Suban Rakthong, Chumphon Provincial Agriculture Chief, said “Farmers are facing the severe impact of climate change, resulting in less coffee process. The principle of regenerative agriculture into practice will help mitigate the impact while slowly creating sustainability of coffee smallholders at the upstream. All related offices need to work together and seek ways to enable coffee smallholders to understand the concept of regenerative agriculture, adapt and adopt their farming practices while embracing new technologies to boost coffee productivity while reducing ecosystem damages.”
Mr Suban also said that the coffee-growing land in Chumphon was continuously dropped from over 200,000 rai to about 60,000 rai. The Office of Agricultural Economic estimated that there would be only 40,000 rai of coffee-growing land in 2024. Coffee smallholders switched to grow durian due to higher prices. Currently Vietnam can produce coffee as many as 477kg/rai compared to our capacity of average 92kg/rai. Despite declining coffee-growing areas, drinking coffee is regarded as a lifestyle and that regenerative agriculture implementation can be a solution for effectively boosting coffee productivity per rai and farmland management in the long run.
Bottom (Left) Group exercise on the second day of the workshop (Right) Narin Senapa, Field Manager of Coffee++ Thailand project
Associate Professor Jiraporn Inthasan, master trainer of the Regenerative Agriculture module from Maejo University’s Faculty of Agricultural Production, said the regenerative agriculture approach, if being implemented, would enable smallholder farmers to systematically boost productivity, balance production cost and create opportunities for the young generations of Robusta coffee smallholders to either improve or adjust their inherited farmland management for sustainability, better livelihoods and traceability while reducing soil surface depletion and GHG emission. The better and higher product quality and standard will encourage farmers to change.
Associate Professor Jiraporn Inthasan, master trainer of the Regenerative Agriculture module from Maejo University’s Faculty of Agricultural Production, said the regenerative agriculture approach, if being implemented, would enable smallholder farmers to systematically boost productivity, balance production cost and create opportunities for the young generations of Robusta coffee smallholders to either improve or adjust their inherited farmland management for sustainability, better livelihoods and traceability while reducing soil surface depletion and GHG emission. The better and higher product quality and standard will encourage farmers to change.
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