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Coffee Farming: Everything You Should Know About Coffee Growing

The agricultural method of transforming the raw fruit of the coffee beans into completed coffee is known as coffee production. If you read more about it, you will find out that the pulp or fruit of the coffee cherry is extracted, keeping only the seeds or beans, which are then dried.

Since all green coffee is filtered, the process employed differs and can affect the taste of brewed and roasted coffee significantly. Coffee processing provides a significant income source for 12.5 billion people, the majority of which are located in developing nations. Here are some facts that you should know about coffee growing.

Types of Coffee Farming

Coffee farming can be classified into 3 types

Organic Coffee Farms

To increase yields, organic farming does not use fertilizer, pesticides, or any other chemicals. The crops are produced organically in three years and rain or soil is not altered in the farm.

Compost is used to fertilize the soil in these farms and pesticides are not used. This type of farming allows the coffee berries to mature quickly.

High Production Coffee Farms

High-production coffee farms allow for commercialized coffee growing. This contributes to 20% of the coffee grown.

Farms Run by Small Families

80% of the coffee grown in the world is done through small-scale growing. Most people rely on this type of coffee growing for their livelihoods.

Is Rainforest Alliance Beneficial to Coffee growers?

Rainforest Alliance seeks to protect the environment by incentivizing farmers to supply products to roasters and intermediaries in exchange for a higher price. They are close to Fair Trade but are more environmentally conscious.

National Public Radio and Charity Navigator also gave the Rainforest Alliance a 97 percent transparency and accountability rating. Growers in almost all of the rising countries are paid an additional 15% of every pound of coffee by the Rainforest Alliance. Even so, growers are required to improve their farms to receive the certification.

Advice on how to start coffee gardens

There are 2 varieties of coffee that can be grown including Robusta and Arabica. Arabica grows well at high altitudes while Robusta develops well at low altitudes. If you’re growing Robusta or Arabica, these pointers will come in handy:

  • Arabica plants are spaced eight feet by eight feet apart while Robusta plants are spaced ten feet by ten feet apart.
  • Dig holes that are two feet in length, two feet in width, and two feet deep.
  • When you’re digging a hole, pile the soils on one surface and the lower soil from the other.
  • Manure should be added to the dug ground and reinserted into the holes.
  • Until cultivation, label the middle of the openings and keep it for 2 to 3 months.
  • Coffee seedling can be purchased from accredited coffee nurseries.
  • Plant very early morning or early in the night during the growing season.
  • Before growing the seeds, detach the polythene pot covering.

Conclusion

The information above regarding various farming techniques, coffee growers, as well as the coffee business is nearly universal. The above facts come in handy if you want to start your own coffee farm.