TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coffee has become a part of the global lifestyle, including in Indonesia. As many as 2.2 billion cups of coffee are consumed by the world's population every day, according to earth.com. This beverage is made from coffee beans grown on plantations managed by over 100 million coffee farmers worldwide.
Amid the high global coffee consumption, the community of coffee farmers faces a real threat from the impacts of climate change. This threat is exacerbated by unsustainable farming practices among the farmers.
Roberto Alonso Vega Alfaro, Vice President of Global Coffee Agronomy, R&D, and Sustainability at Starbucks, revealed that the farmers need to adapt modern sustainable practices to confront these threats. Starbucks has 10 farmer support centers in various countries, one of which is in Indonesia, built in Berastagi, North Sumatra. Roberto stated that farmers are taught how to mitigate the impacts of climate change, particularly the two most prevalent issues at present: soil degradation and water scarcity.
For soil degradation, for example, farmers are taught to make compost from coffee waste that is usually discarded. He mentioned that only 20 percent of the coffee fruit is consumed, with the majority becoming waste. "However, the remaining 80 percent is valuable because it can replace fertilizer. It can truly improve the soil," Roberto said during a media discussion after last weekend's Lecture Series session at the World of Coffee Jakarta International Convention Center.
Sustainable farming practices are also carried out to reduce water consumption. According to Roberto, they provide machines that can reduce water consumption by up to 50 percent. "We purchase the machines and place them in demonstration plots. We show farmers how the machines work so they can see their benefits," he said.
However, it is not easy to teach farmers to adopt the right practices. He said the biggest challenge is changing behaviors and habits passed down for generations. "So, bringing in some innovations may not be as easy as we want it to be," he said.
That is why demonstration plantations are crucial. When farmers see their success, they will be open to changing behaviors and practicing sustainable farming.
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