Scalable indicators are promising to assess ecosystem services. In a large (660 ha) coffee agroforestry farm,we calibrated the relationship between the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), calculatedon a High Resolution (HR) satellite image and ground-truth LAI, providing a 2-layer (shade trees andcoffee) LAI calibration with LAI 2000 and a new technique based on the cumulative distribution of LAIalong transects. The effective and apparent clumping of coffee leaves were computed (0.76 and 0.89,respectively). We also calibrated the relationship between the derived HR-LAI farm map and NDVI fromthe Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in order to re-construct LAI time-series(2001-2011).Coffee LAI, as derived from MODIS after substracting the contribution of shade tree LAI varied seasonallybetween 2.4 and 4.4 m2m-2, with a maximum by the end of wet season (peak of harvest), steep declineduring the drier-cooler season, minimum after annual coffee pruning, recovery during the next rainyseason and pause during the grain filling period. MODIS also detected significant inter-annual variationsin LAI originating from annual pruning, or plot renovation followed by a progressive LAI recovery duringup to 4 years.We related the coffee-LAI time-series with farm registries to examine the impacts of management onLAI and on selected ecosystem services, namely yield and hydrological services. Nitrogen fertilizationwas adjusted annually by the farmer and appeared as the best yield predictor (R2= 0.53). CombiningN-fertilization with LAI from 6 significant months of the year, the prediction was improved (R2= 0.74),confirming LAI as an important co-predictor of yield. We ended up with a yield prediction model includingalso the percentage of pruned resprouts (R2= 0.79), with potential uses for regional yield mapping orreconstruction of historical yield time-series.
Tag: coffee
Building cooperative capacity: the specialty coffee sector in Nicaragua
Purpose – Within the context of widespread donor support for producer organizations, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of interventions aimed at rescuing a failed cooperative and improving performance and business linkages between grower-suppliers and international markets through enterprise development. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports a case study of a Nicaraguan coffee cooperative, Soppexcca, which received substantial donor support at the time of the international coffee crisis between 1999 and 2004. The study used a framework of organizational structure, strategy, empowerment, and performance to assess business performance and sustainability. Quantitative and qualitative data collection focussed on asset building and changes during the period 2005-2009. Findings – Soppexcca achieved major advances in asset building. External interventions played a pivotal role in building organizational capacity to respond to buyers’ demands and market-related shocks. Support was received not only from donors but also from supply chain partners and third-sector organizations. However, important gaps remain, and addressing these gaps requires changes in Soppexcca and sustained support. Research limitations/implications – As a case study, findings cannot be readily generalized but the implications will be of significance beyond the coffee sector in Nicaragua, wherever and in whatever sector building cooperative capacity is an important development objective. Social implications – Experience with Soppexcca shows that the creation of sustainable collective organizations is a long-term process, particularly in respect of building human capital. Originality/value – The paper examines enterprise development using concepts of capital asset formation and cooperative performance, and argues the significance of effective links between value chain stakeholders as well as internal cooperative performance.
Building the foundations of a Coffea arabica FSPM
Coffee is the most valuable product worldwide after oil. A quite large literature is dedicated to the agronomy and physiology of coffee tree (DaMatta et al. 2007) but there have been few attempts to model plant growth and production on functional bases. The most integrative process-based model was recently proposed by Rodriguez et al. (2011). This model combines phenology, shoot and root dynamics, light interception, photosynthesis and carbon allocation. However it works with cohorts of branches and leaves and doesn’t explicitly consider the plant geometry and topology. Our purpose is thus to lay the foundations of coffee FSPM using information obtained in different experiments. FSPMs mostly lie on four cornerstones: plant topology, plant geometry, carbon acquisition and carbon allocation. Putting together these different components leads to complex models with numerous parameters and, as far as many parameters need to be calibrated, there is then no insurance that proper parameter values can be obtained through automatic optimization methods. A step by step procedure is thus necessary for calibrating and validating the components of the integrated model. Plant topology is the first step to address when aiming to develop a functional growth model with an explicit 3D structure. Basically the plant structure is the result of bud activity (growth, dormancy, death and ramification processes) over time. Unfortunately the functional bases of organogenesis are complex and poorly understood. A way to overcome this problem is to force the plant structure against field observations. This procedure is not straightforward since the plant structure cannot be reasonably measured all along its development and in coffee trees and there is no growth marker that can be used for inferring the age of the elements of a plant structure (Taugourdeau et al. 2012). Dating the elements of a coffee tree therefore needs a precise knowledge of the growth rates of plant sub-structures. Fortunately the growth rates of the main stem and branches are closely related in coffee trees (deReffye, 1990), making possible to retrieve back in time the plant structure in former stages. This procedure is illustrated here for arabica coffee plants at six growth stages from DAP 156 to 797. The experience acquired on modeling the carbon acquisition and the 3D plant structure is also briefly presented.
Suitability analysis and projected climate change impact on banana and coffee production zones in Nepal
The Government of Nepal has identified opportunities in agricultural commercialization, responding to a growing internal demand and expansion of export markets to reduce the immense trade deficit. Several cash crops, including coffee and bananas, have been identified in the recently approved Agriculture Development Strategy. Both of these crops have encouraged smallholder farmers to convert their subsistence farming practices to more commercial cultivation. Identification of suitable agro-ecological zones and understanding climate-related issues are important for improved production and livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Here, the suitability of coffee and banana crops is analyzed for different agro-ecological zones represented by Global Environmental Stratification (GEnS). Future shifts in these suitability zones are also predicted. Plantation sites in Nepal were geo-referenced and used as input in species distribution modelling. The multi-model ensemble model suggests that climate change will reduce the suitable growing area for coffee by about 72% across the selected emission scenarios from now to 2050. Impacts are low for banana growing, with a reduction in suitability by about 16% by 2050. Bananas show a lot of potential for playing an important role in Nepal as a sustainable crop in the context of climate change, as this study indicates that the amount of area suited to banana growing will grow by 40% by 2050. Based on our analysis we recommend possible new locations for coffee plantations and one method for mitigating climate change-related problems on existing plantations. These findings are expected to support planning and policy dialogue for mitigation and support better informed and scientifically based decision-making relating to these two crops. © 2016 Ranjitkar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Birds in Sumberjaya
• Birds observation havebeen done in Sumberjayaduring 2000-2002 byTrudy O’Connor.• The data is in processingto analyze.
Tea, Coffee, and Cocoa
Tea, coffee, and cocoa are cultivated for their young leaves, cherries, and beans, respectively, from which popular beverages are made and consumed worldwide. In addition to being used as beverage, cocoa is essentially consumed as chocolate confectionery products. The stimulant properties and medicinal values of these beverages are recognized since the ancient times. These crops are among the most important agricultural commodities worldwide. Tea is the most popular beverage, and it is consumed by 65% of the world’s population, while coffee ranks second with about 2 billion cups consumed daily. Nearly 4 kg cocoa bean equivalent is consumed per capita annually in developed countries. In 2012, the production of processed tea, green coffee, and cocoa beans was 4.8, 8.8, and 5.0 million MT, respectively. This production occurs largely in the developing world (with the exception of tea in China), while the consumption happens mainly in the developed economies. For each of these commodities, more than 50% of the production is in only three countries, but unlike other products such as crude oil the market price is regulated by consumption countries. The economy of many growing countries depends heavily on the earnings from these crops which support directly or indirectly millions of people in both producing and consuming countries.
Agroforestry and Forestry in Sulawesi series: Smallholders’ coffee production and marketing in Indonesia: a case study of two villages in South Sulawesi Province
This study was undertaken as part of the Agroforestry and Forestry in Sulawesi: Linking Knowledge with Action project, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, Canada. The objective of the survey was to obtain information from farmers in Campaga and Pattaneteang villages in Bantaeng District, South Sulawesi province,Indonesia about their harvesting, processing, packaging,selling and marketing of coffee;the roles of both men and women in the management, extraction, production and marketing of coffee; the challenges faced by farmers; and why they did not sell under brands. Two focus groups were held with coffee farmers using a questionnaire to stimulate discussion.The study found that both communities operated successful coffee businesses within the limitations of their socio-economic settings. Nevertheless, improvements could be possible if carefully planned and executed, leading to increased sales, profits and revenue,by indulging more in customer- orientated marketing. The study found that men and women had distinctly different roles in the production process but should participate equally in any decisions to change current operations.
Application of combined pixel-based and spatial and spatial-based approaches for improved mixed vegetation classification using ikonos
Classifying a mosaic of coffee systems, each in a different stage of structural complexity is not obvious when that ranges from monoculture to a complex agro-ecosystem, with various shade and fruit trees mixed in different degrees of density. Distinction into different sub-classes incorporating tree complexity and tree cover, is important as tree density and the generally related amount of litter are important from a soil erosion perspective. In this study, the objective was to classify different coffee garden systems plus several other minor vegetation classes existing in the area using IKONOS in Sumberjaya district, Lampung Province, Indonesia. Pixel-based classification approach was integrated with spatial-based approach to reach an improved classification result. In the supervised pixel-based approach training samples are collected to generate statistical parameters for the classifier to classify the whole image. The spatial-based approach refers to segmentation procedure, known also as object-based classification. Two methods of integration were explored and pure pixel-based-approach was as well conducted for comparison purpose. Results were then tested using ground check data. The methods tested are: pure spectral approach of (a) supervised classification using maximum likelihood classifier, integration with segmentation which was done in two ways, by (b) classifying the segments and by (c) combining the pixel-based classified image with segment image using majority rule. Of all the three methods the combination using majority rule showed the highest overall accuracy. Several points were discussed as feedback to the methods tried as well as to improve the classification result
Agroforestry is a form sustainable forest management: lessons from Southeast Asia
Agroforestry as land use based on planted trees, provides productive and protective(biological diversity, healthy ecosystems, protection of soil and water resources,terrestrial carbon storage) forest functions that societies care about in the debate onsustainable forest management. Yet, the trees planted in agroforestry systems areexcluded in formal definitions and statistics of ‘forestry plantations’ and overlooked inthe legal and institutional framework for sustainable forest management. A paradigmshift is needed in the forestry sector and public debate to redress this oversight. Weexamine five issues that hinder a regreening revolution based on farmer tree planting tocontribute to sustainable forest management. First, issues of terminology for forests,plantations and reforestation are linked to land tenure and land use restrictions. Second,access to high quality planting material of proven suitability remains a challenge,especially at the start of a farmer-tree-planting phase of a landscape. Third,management skill and information often constrain production for high market values.Fourth, overregulation often restricts access to markets for farmer grown timber andtree products, partly due to rules intended to curb illegal logging from natural forests orgovernment plantations. Fifth, there is a lack of reward mechanisms for environmentalservices provided by agroforestry. Current relationships between agroforestry andplantation forestry are perceived to be complementary, neutral or competitive,depending on the ability of (inter)national policy frameworks to provide a level playingfield for the provision to society at large of productive and protective forest functions.In conditions where large-scale plantations operate with substantial governmentsubsidies (direct or indirect, partly justified by environmental service functions), incontrast to non-existent or minimal subsidies for agroforestry, the potential to producewood and simultaneously provide for many forest benefits and ecological services withagroforestry is placed at a disadvantage, to the detriment of society at large
In vitro propagation of the new disease resistant Coffea arabica variety, Batia
Batian is a true breeding commercial coffee variety that was released in Kenya in 2010. It is resistant to coffee berry disease and coffee leaf rust which are the main coffee diseases in Kenya. Coupled with early ripening, good beverage quality and high yields, demand for planting material has surpassed supply. Conventional propagation methods do not provide enough planting materials, hence the need to develop alternative methods. The objective of this study was to develop an effective in vitro protocol for propagating the coffee variety, Batian. Leaf explants were harvested and cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with different concentrations of cytokinins benzyl amino purine (BAP) and thidiazuron (TDZ) separately, 100 mg/l myo-inositol 3% sucrose and gelled with 0.3% gelrite. The results show differences among cytokinins levels in induction of somatic embryos. BAP at 13.3 éM gave the highest mean of embryos per explants, 6.06 1.18 and highest percentage of embryogenic cultures of 58.33%. Development of somatic embryos was achieved on hormone free MS media with highest mean length of 0.32 0.03 mm. Indole butyric acid at 9.8 éM was best for induction of a well-developed root system with a mean length of 1.22 0.09 mm. This protocol opens new prospects for massive propagation of Batian in nine months.