Premium coffee from the Amazon
supports local reforestation
origin
country
Peru
producer
Juan Marco
region
El Palto
farm
JUMARP Cooperativa
variety
Caturra, Typica, Bourbon, Pache
processing method
washed and dried with solarpower dryer
height
1000 - 1800 m.a.s.l.
taste
Drupes, red berries, floral
certificate
Organic, FairTrade and 0% chemical fertilizers in cultivation
roast level
medium roast
SCAE points
83 / 100
What is the Jumarp cooperative doing in Peru?
The cooperative Juan Marco El Palto (Jumarp for short) is a member of the Café Selva Norte project (CSN) and is committed to reforestation and the preservation of the local jungle.
The CSN project works to combat deforestation and land degradation in the country. According to Ecotierra, 15% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by deforestation, and the most common cause is the spread of farming practices. So, as soon as farmers are financially forced to artificially increase their arable land through rhododendrons, we allow deforestation to be driven forward.
What is the challenge of the local coffee farmers?
When the leaf rust crisis (Roya) hit the country in 2013, most farmers were advised to cut down their shade trees. This would allow for freer air circulation in the plantation, preventing excess moisture and the spread of the fungus. However, growing coffee under the full sun requires greater input of inputs that producers could not afford. Yields from coffee trees, already struggling with the Roya, continued to decline, threatening farmers’ livelihoods.
To produce more, farmers move from one part of their plot to another, expanding their plot or replacing their perennial crops with annual crops such as corn. Before that, they burn the soil to clean it, resulting in a more acidic soil. Impoverished land forces farmers to use new plots of land, sometimes old-growth forests – clearing them to make way for new farmland. At the expense of the Amazon.
How does the project support reforestation of the Amazon?
The project started in 2019 and has already provided nearly half a million US dollars in microloans to farmers to support the transition to sustainable agroforestry, affecting around 300 farmers and more than 300 hectares.
The project aims to increase the income of coffee producers by increasing their yields through specialty coffee while promoting sustainable farming practices. Through CSN, Jumarp finances micro-loans at low interest rates to farmers, technical assistance and equipment, and seedlings for coffee and trees on the plantation.
This prevents the Amazon in this region from being deforested by coffee farmers and the farmers can already farm profitably within their arable land.