Buenas Prácticas Cafeteras, Fertilización y Granja Autosuficiente - TvAgro por Juan Gonzalo Angel

Twitter @juangangel Although the image of coffee plantations is often associated with the vast expanses of land found in various countries, around 70% of global coffee production comes from mostly family farms with an area of less than ten hectares, and generally less than five hectares. As small farmers, coffee cultivation employs a huge number of people, as the harvest, which is rarely mechanized, requires significant labor time, which constitutes a fundamental part of the production cost. Thus, in Brazil alone, it is estimated that there are around 220,000 coffee plantations employing more than 3.5 million people. A young coffee tree needs three to four years to begin producing fruit, reaching its peak productivity at six or eight years. The bush can then live for many decades, but is commercially viable only until it is twenty-five or thirty years old. The canopy is thinned to prevent excessive growth in height. Plantations can be planted completely in the open, which facilitates the organization of cultivation operations and increases fruit production by maximizing solar radiation, as long as there are no other limiting factors such as soil fertility and water availability. However, this has the disadvantage of reducing plant longevity and requiring fertilizers and pesticides. Plantations can also be planted in semi-shade—known as shade coffee—which better corresponds to the species' autoecology, but reduces productivity and complicates management. There are numerous shade farming methods, from direct planting in forests to combinations of refuge trees cut according to the fruiting stage of the coffee trees or even polyculture systems. Shade plantations generally induce better biodiversity, although the quality varies greatly depending on the systems used and the initial natural state. Harvesting and processing of coffee Worker picking coffee in Costa Rica. Harvest When the fruits reach maturity—seven to nine months after flowering for Arabica, nine to eleven months for Robusta—the coffee harvest can begin. This time varies according to climate and altitude; for example, in Java, three harvests occur annually, so the harvest extends practically throughout the year, while in Brazil, the harvest takes place from May to September, and in Colombia, from March to April and from November to December. Harvesting is primarily done manually and selectively, picking only the ripe coffee beans and avoiding damaging the buds on the branches, which requires re-picking the same bush several times, but which produces the best coffee varieties. The worker places the collected beans in a basket tied to his waist. When the basket is full, sacks are filled and transported by the same worker to the processing area. 28 As an alternative to selective shelling, a "kneading" technique has been used, which is discouraged because it damages the plant and reduces productivity. Another method of harvesting is scraping or destemming the coffee tree branch, which removes all the berries, regardless of their ripeness. Therefore, the harvesting time must be carefully selected to maximize the quantity of ripe berries. The berries fall to the ground or onto tarps; any impurities that may have fallen are then separated by air. The presence of green berries produces a more acidic coffee, but this can be avoided by separating these berries from the harvested coffee. 42 Mechanized harvesting is also used in Brazil and Hawaii, which relies primarily on vibrating the branches until the berries fall. Coffee Processing Once the fruits, also known as "coffee cherries," are harvested, they must be processed to remove the pulp and mucilage, thus obtaining the parchment-coated bean, known as "parchment coffee" or "green coffee." Initially, freshly picked coffee beans are processed using either the dry or wet method and must be treated on the day of harvest, otherwise fermentation may begin and the beans may become tainted. More info at http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A... Juan Gonzalo Angel www.tvagro.tv