Assessing Sustainability in Coffee Farming Systems in Colombia

Abstract: This study investigated sustainability challenges and benefits for coffee farming with different amounts of shade management in Colombia. Data was collected from literature studies, quantitative soil analyses and interviews with farmers and other experts. The results show that shade management of coffee farms does increase ecological sustainability, but in general gives lower yields of coffee. However, shaded coffee systems have the potential of increasing economic resilience for farmers by providing diversified income possibilities. The low and fluctuating coffee price of the global market has shown to be a major challenge of sustainability for Colombian small scale coffee farms. In addition a participatory sustainability assessment of soil quality and crop health was conducted with four farmers. The results from these assessments were compared with results from quantitative analyses of soil compaction, microbiological respiration rate and organic matter content in order to evaluate the analytical reliability of the assessment. The results of the participatory assessment were shown to correlate quite well to the quantitative soil analyses. When participatory methodology was evaluated from experiences in field and literature, it was found to be an important approach in facilitating sustainability learning in local contexts.