Description: Nature is intelligence in action. She knows what to do if we either get out of the way and let her do her thing and/or supply the conditions for improvement. Based on workshops given in the field and adjusted to a classroom setting, this session will demonstrate that we can sustainably produce more specialty coffee in an economically viable way.
Content for the session is aimed at farmers, technical assistants, agronomists, and fertilizer advisors. Participants will do self-analysis and directly apply the learned material into a solutions-driven workplan.
The workshop would be divided into four modules of 40 minutes with each ~20 minute explanation/training and 20 minutes questions and practice.
The four modules are:
Understanding Specialty Soils
Soil-coverage and Organic Matter
Minerals & Balanced Fertilization
Microbiology and Biofertilizers
Participants will leave the workshop with:
A good understanding of the relation of specialty to soil and nutrition.
Identification of their main causes in their own conditions
An initial plan with improvement areas, steps and inputs; a framework that can become an actionable plan.
Access to a Rainforest Alliances's support network for learning, tools and interaction.
We hope to see you there!
Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: S504BCD
Category: Sustainability
Instructors
Niels van Heeren
Lead Advisor, Terragrow Latin America.
Niels is Dutch and currently lives in Medellin, Colombia with his wife and 2 sons. He has worked in sustainable agriculture advice in 25 countries in the last 30 years to understand the underlying causes of low yield, quality and diseases in agriculture. He has developed a simplified method for farmers and advisors to understand where their problems come from and how to address the core causes of productivity and diseases through soil improvement, balanced fertilization and regenerative practices.
Miguel Gamboa
Coffee Sector Lead at the Rainforest Alliance
Miguel Gamboa, Coffee Sector Lead at the Rainforest Alliance, was trained as an industrial engineer with a Masters in Reengineering and International Trade. He started his professional career working in a coffee exporting company. Then, 20 years ago, he started working with the UTZ certification program. Being part of the support team for the members of the certification program, he was able to learn about different realities of coffee production and marketing throughout Latin America. After the merger of UTZ and the Rainforest Alliance, he was appointed as a Coffee Representative Manager for Latin America, and since September 2022 - as a Coffee Sector Lead. In his own words: “I believe that the certification is a good basis to start improving the living conditions of producing families. Coffee is synonymous with life—not only for producers and workers but also for flora and fauna, and all of us who taste its flavor”.