Changing the way we grow coffee

The CRAS project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ) in Cambodia and Vietnam. The CRAS project in Vietnam is implemented by GIZ in collaboration with the Department of Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Son La and Dien Bien provinces.

Delegates visited the specialty coffee processing area of ​​Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative, City.

Implemented in Son La province from March 2021 to September 2024, the CRAS Project has provided practical support for the following activities: Training, education and model building to improve capacity for sustainable coffee production and adaptation to climate change; developing and digitizing ToT and ToF training materials; organizing in-depth training courses on sustainable coffee cultivation, management, processing, business and other necessary skills for over 3,000 farmers and agricultural extension officers. In addition, 3 nursery models, 16 hectares of new high-yield coffee variety gardens were built; supporting the implementation of intercropping and replanting models of high-quality coffee varieties...

Ms. Ha Thi Binh, Chieng Chung Commune, Mai Son District, shared: Participating in the training course on sustainable coffee cultivation of the CRAS Project has changed my perspective on coffee production. I am more interested in environmentally friendly farming by maintaining grass cover, protecting soil, pruning, using shade trees properly and integrated pest management. After 4 years of applying organic farming methods, my family's coffee land has gradually improved, the plants are healthy, have few pests and diseases, and have stable yields, meeting international standards.

Over the past year, 12 members of the Chieng Xet Agricultural Cooperative in the City have changed their coffee care methods, switching to organic farming on an area of ​​45 hectares. Most of the coffee acreage of the cooperative members has been planted for nearly 30 years, the trees are old so the yield and quality of the fruit are not high. After being trained in organic farming, including pruning, canopy shaping and using organic fertilizers to improve the soil, it has helped to improve the yield and quality of coffee.

Ara-Tay Coffee Cooperative introduces coffee products.

Mr. Quang Van Dien, Director of the Cooperative, said: In the 2023-2024 crop year, the Cooperative provided 12 tons of specialty coffee beans to Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative for export, bringing in revenue of more than 1.1 billion VND. Currently, the Cooperative is actively replanting with the goal of completely converting to organic coffee production by 2030 with new, high-quality varieties.

Cooperation for development

In Son La, the CRAS project has supported a variety of cooperatives and coffee enterprises, including: Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative, Chieng Xet Agricultural Cooperative, Ara-Tay Coffee Cooperative, Minh Tien Group Joint Stock Company, Phuc Sinh Son La Joint Stock Company and Detech Coffee Joint Stock Company.

Minh Tien Group Joint Stock Company introduces new high quality coffee varieties.

From 2021, the project will train more than 2,600 farmers and managers on sustainable farming and business management. In addition, it will build 4 models of sustainable organic Arabica coffee production and processing with a scale of 100 hectares; a water-saving coffee processing model; a concentrated production linkage model and an agroforestry model, etc.

In particular, the project supports international certification for more than 370 hectares of Rainforest Alliance (RA) certified coffee and over 400 hectares of Cafe Practices (CP) certified coffee, opening up opportunities for participating units to access high-end markets. Practical models such as organic coffee production, earthworm farming and water-saving coffee processing have also been successfully implemented, bringing practical results. Through these support activities, the CRAS project contributes to improving production capacity, promoting linkages between parties in the value chain and moving towards sustainable development for the Northwest coffee industry.

Ms. Cam Thi Mon, Director of Ara-Tay Coffee Cooperative, Chieng Chung Commune, Mai Son District, shared: The CRAS project not only provides scientific knowledge on climate change adaptation production, but also supports equipment, product packaging, trade promotion and production and processing linkages. Thanks to that, 70 hectares of coffee of the Cooperative and 300 associated households have converted to organic production, producing 4 high-quality coffee products: Natural green coffee beans, Honey green coffee beans, Natural coffee powder and beans, Honey coffee powder and beans. Coffee products of Ara-Tay Coffee Cooperative are well received by consumers and are available at many coffee shops nationwide. In the 2023-2024 crop year, the Cooperative will sell 8-10 tons of coffee, achieving a revenue of about 1.6 billion VND, bringing in an income of over 100 million VND/member household.

The CRAS project played a key role in supporting Detech Coffee Joint Stock Company to achieve Rainforest Alliance (RA) certification in Son La. Through training courses on RA certification and supply chain management systems, the project helped the Company improve the capacity of its staff and associated farmers. Significant results from September 2023 to August 2024, Detech received RA certification for its supply chain associated with 500 households in Chieng Mai commune. Thanks to that, the Company purchased and processed more than 4,200 tons of fresh coffee from these households, bringing higher product value and stable income to farmers in the 2023-2024 crop year.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong, Head of Sustainability Department of Detech Coffee Joint Stock Company, said: Not only stopping at achieving certification, Detech also proactively invested in 17 hectares of new Arabica coffee gardens, applying advanced science and technology to adapt to climate change. This is an important step to expand the raw material area, ensuring the sustainable development of the company.

“Green transformation” - sustainable coffee production

Sustainable coffee production methods are spreading strongly throughout Son La province, encouraging farmers to change their farming techniques and move towards international standard chains.

This transformation is further reinforced by Conclusion No. 863-KL/TU dated May 11, 2023 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on developing high-tech coffee by 2030. Thereby, localities are actively mobilizing farmers to participate in replanting, grafting and developing sustainable coffee. Up to now, Son La has more than 1,344 hectares of coffee replanted, pruned and grafted, of which the area of ​​specialty coffee reaches over 1,100 hectares, with an output of nearly 1,000 tons; more than 19,100 hectares of coffee have achieved international certifications such as RA, 4C, affirming the position and quality of Son La coffee in the global market.

Farmers in Den village, Muong Chanh commune, Mai Son district take care of their coffee garden.
Photo: PV

At the CRAS Project Summary Conference, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, acknowledged the contributions of the CRAS Project in changing the awareness and production methods of farmers, forming sustainable production chains, gradually helping people to cope with climate change and protect the environment. He emphasized that Son La province continues to promote propaganda activities, mobilizing people to apply sustainable farming according to international standards, while promoting coffee replanting and improvement and introducing high-yield, high-quality crop varieties into production, improving quality, building and maintaining the Son La coffee brand.

The initial successes of the CRAS Project have contributed to improving coffee planting and care techniques for Son La farmers; increasingly affirming the position of Son La coffee on the world coffee map, not only by its unique flavor, but also by its continuous efforts in building a green, clean coffee industry that benefits the community.

Phan Trang