Reducing costs by using eco-friendly compost

In preparation for the next season, coffee farmers start maintenance-related work on their farms, such as taking care of trees, after they finish harvesting coffee beans once a year (usually between October and December). Our project is aimed at conducting various kinds of training on agricultural technology, adjusted to the coffee cultivation period. One primary goal is to teach how to use compost in coffee farming.

Coffee farmers in this region are often concerned about the high cost of fertilizers and pesticides needed for their farms. This, among other factors, also makes everyday life difficult for them. However, composting is easy and environmentally friendly, and it can be done using organic household waste, incurring no large cost for the farmers. Composting makes use not only of raw garbage and livestock excrement, but also of coffee cherry husks that are usually disposed of during the cultivation process. Compost can be made out of those husks when they are mixed with soil and left to ferment for a while.

During the agricultural training conducted by FIDR and its partner, Tay Bac University, farmers learned how to make soil using compost. They could also try the new method on their farms.

When the training started, some of the farmers expressed disinterest in trying at all. They believed making compost would be time-consuming and expensive. However, after the training, their opinions changed.

”Composting is a great way to recycle raw garbage and livestock waste. We have some neighbors who don't even know about this yet. The coffee cherry husks are thrown away after the harvest, so it's quite a waste. I want to share this composting method with others,” one of them said.

”I want to use compost for growing coffee trees and nurturing my home garden,” another one commented.

“I heard that compost made from coffee cherry husks is rich in nutrients and can be a good fertilizer, so I am planning to use it not only for coffee farming but also for other fruit fields,” was another comment we received.

Many farmers started making compost immediately after the training finished.

We conducted online kickoff workshop for the new project

On September 10, we conducted an online kick-off workshop prior to the launch of Community Development Project in Coffee Production Area in Son La Province, Vietnam.

There were over 70 participants including representatives of AEON Co., Ltd and other companies in the supply chain; Principle and staff members of Tay Bac University who are in charge of the project; local government officers, representatives of local farmers, and media companies, etc. The project purpose and activity plans were shared to deepen the understanding of the project to promote cooperation among stakeholders.

Utilizing our experience on rural development and livelihood improvement of ethnic minorities in the central region of Vietnam for many years, FIDR will contribute to the better livelihood of coffee farmers in Son La province with the cooperation of project stakeholders.

We conducted monitoring in Son La province upon the project commencement

FIDR is joining the "Sustainable Coffee Project", which is organized by AEON Co.,Ltd and set a goal of achieving the sustainability of production and business activity of coffee in Son La province, located in north-western region of Vietnam.
FIDR visited Son La province for the first time to conduct a survey on the basic information such as people's life, culture, coffee production and farming, which is the main source of income.

Coffee farm

Son La province is recognized as one of the poorest provinces in Vietnam, and it takes 7 hours from Ha Noi city by car. On the way to the project sites, not only the scenery of mountains, but the diversification of agricultural farms and products, such as apricots, plums, mangos, longans, and especially, coffee which covers the hills, also attracted FIDR staff. In Son La province, Catimor coffee which belongs to the Arabica variety is grown with nice aroma, deep taste and high productivity.

Farmers in Son La Province started to plant coffee in 1994 with a subsidy from the government. Since then, the number of coffee farmers as well as the coverage of coffee plants have been increasing incredibly in Son La Province. Up to now, almost all people in 3 coffee planting areas namely Son La city, Mai Son district, Thuan Chau district have their own coffee farms.

When we conducted workshop with coffee farmers, they shared that they are facing challenges such as unstable coffee prices, affection of extreme weather or high expenses on fertilizers and pesticides together with unstable household income. They said that they really want to have a platform to exchange their techniques and share their difficulties for improving their lives. Besides that, they dream to improve income and revitalize the local economy while preserving their culture.

In cooperation with AEON Co., Ltd and other related organizations, FIDR will try our best to support their dream.

FIDR is partaking in the Sustainable Coffee Project, implemented by AEON Co., Ltd in the prefecture of Son La, Vietnam.

FIDR is joining the Sustainable Coffee Project which is to be organized by AEON Co., Ltd in Son La province, located in the north-western region of Vietnam.

Son La is located about 320 kilometers north-west of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. The province is regarded not only as a major agricultural hub for coffee bean production, (of which Vietnam ranks second globally) but also as an area to ethnic minorities facing harsh levels of poverty.

To combat this, AEON Co., Ltd is working on implementing initiatives that will balance the sustainability of natural resources with the consistent development of business activities within these areas. As one of the activities, the company set a goal of reaching an eco-friendly standard, not just for the environment, but also for the benefit of local producers, for all private coffee brands being sold and started this Sustainable Coffee Project.

As a partner of this project, based off of our previous years of experience providing development support to ethnic minorities in Central Vietnam, FIDR will continue to work on introducing new farming methods and technologies to support coffee bean producers in an effort to improve the living standard for residents within Son La.

For more information regarding the project, please visit AEON at the link below.
https://www.aeon.info/sustainability/coffee/