Coffee regions preserve upstream forests

Through the process of perfecting production and processing solutions to achieve food safety certification according to international and domestic standards associated with forest protection and restoration, the tea coffee lines at an altitude of 1,500 m in Lam Dong province not only achieve high productivity and quality every year, but also contribute to increasing forest cover, preserving water resources for downstream areas to maintain crop cultivation and adapt to climate change.

For the past five years, reporters have frequently visited the coffee and tea plantations bordering the Khánh Vĩnh pass in the communes of Đạ Nhim and Đạ Chais, Lạc Dương district, former Lâm Đồng province (now Lạc Dương commune, Lâm Đồng province) to enjoy high-quality, internationally certified coffee and tea, combined with experiencing the lush green mountain scenery year-round. The specialty coffee and tea grown here is not only ranked among the world's best in quality by Starbucks, but is also the subject of community-based sustainable farming projects implemented by various international organizations, bringing tangible daily benefits to the environment.

Nguyen Le Thach Thao, the owner of the Chappi Mountains coffee and tea brand, has spent nearly 10 years establishing cooperatives and companies to build production chains linked to processing and consumption. Initially, this involved 20 farming households with 10 hectares, then expanded to 50 households with 30 hectares, and now has hundreds of farming households and hundreds of hectares of cultivated land, with the majority being indigenous ethnic minority farmers. “Besides coordinating with international organizations to support fertilizers, sustainable coffee farming techniques, improve livelihoods, and raise community awareness about protecting and developing watershed forests for the delta, our company guarantees the purchase of all harvested products and creates additional jobs and stable income for the affiliated farming households of local ethnic minorities…,” Ms. Thach Thao stated.

To date, Chappi Mountains branded coffee products have not only been exported to Europe and other countries in the region, but have also established an indispensable position in high-end supermarkets and domestic distribution stores, carrying a message to consumers about the responsibility of coffee producers in the forest to protect upstream water sources. Similarly, in the coffee-growing area of ​​Langbiang ward - Da Lat, Mr. Lieng Jrang Ha Hoang (born in 1981) was selected by an international project to lead the development and expansion of cooperative coffee production that does not cause deforestation, with 7 local farming households since 2019, with an average area of ​​0.5 hectares per household. Lieng Jrang Ha Hoang also contributed 1 hectare of coffee to the cooperative's production, processing, and consumption chain. After nearly six years of implementation, the awareness of coffee farmers in Langbiang ward, Da Lat, has significantly improved, reflected in farming practices that meet safety standards linked to the protection and sustainable development of upstream forests. Liêng Jrang Ha Hoang also received support from the project for an operating system in its coffee powder processing machinery line, which has been positively received by the market. This includes a significant number of customers visiting the farm daily to enjoy the coffee directly, hear stories about farming without causing deforestation, and receive guaranteed purchase of their harvested products at a price higher than the market rate.

According to our research, the area of ​​coffee produced under the Chappi Mountains and Chu Mui branded cooperative chain is part of a total area of ​​over 2,750 hectares belonging to the Coffee-Agroforestry and Forest Quality Improvement Project for RDD+ (Cafe-REDD) in Lac Duong commune and Langbiang ward, Da Lat. This project is led by the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) in Vietnam and funded through the International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the German Ministry of Environment (BMU). An expert in the Lam Dong Agriculture and Environment sector commented that the Cafe-REDD Project has opened up conditions for sustainable agricultural and forestry farming; providing financial support and market connections between public and private sectors to create valuable, traceable goods that do not harm forests…

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/nhung-vung-ca-phe-giu-rung-dau-nguon-381303.html