A forest like plantation

It was a long way. It took about an hour from the cooperative office and processing plant to the plantation. We had to drive our car on unpaved roads. In one of the villages where we stopped people gathered and chatted in front of a small shop whilst ignoring the chickens pecking the dried rice from the street. From there we walked, going through another small village, crossing rice fields and rivers, walking up slopes and finally entering the plantation.

The plantation I visited with Joseph’s guidance (the plantation owner) looked like a forest. While walking through the forest, he started describing me the different crops: “This is vanilla and this is pepper, this is rambutan, this is coffee…” Joseph kindly explained me how he maintained his plantation in such environment. I was impressed! Looking at the plantation carefully, I found that the trees were pruned to get enough sunshine and that the undergrows were neatly cut. Everything was actually done by Joseph with a simple hatchet (!)

I felt really comfortable in this landscape, it felt like a relaxing forest walk. I was amazed by Joseph’s beautiful plantation and the cooperative system behind it (which I will mention below) and felt it made complete sense to introduce their products in Japan and other countries.

Characteristics of agroforestry

One of the biggest characteristics of agroforestry is that several kinds of plants are cultivated in the same field at the same time. For example, pineapple in the forest floor layer, coffee, pepper or vanilla in the understory layer, and litchi, rambutan in the canopy layer are planted together. By doing so, it becomes more advantageous to the farmers.

First of all, plants such as coffee, vanilla and pepper grow well under shade but not under the direct sunshine. By planting them together with tall trees, farmers don’t have to worry about light conditions.

Secondly, by cultivating several crops, farmers can harvest throughout the year and have a regular income.

Thirdly, even if a certain crop is damaged by cyclone or market prices going down, therefore changing the expected profit, farmers still have other crops which can stabilize their income.

Moreover, agroforestry can contribute to environment conservation. The diversity of species living in this kind of plantations help to maintain a richer ecosystem when compared with single-crop plantations. We can see many butterflies, dragonflies and other insects in agroforestry.

On the other hand, there is a lot of work involved when managing an agroforest. Trees have to be pruned and undergrows cut. If a plantation is infested by pests, farmers will have to exterminate them by hand. Though it is great to harvest throughout the year, there is a lot of regular work to be done. Even so, I believe they are truly proud of what they’re doing.

＜Crops cultivated in the agroforestry plantations＞

The cooperative enhances sustainable agriculture

The cooperative buys all crops cultivated by farmers for reasonable price, securing their income. Afterwards, the products (natural and processed) are exported or domestically sold. Because there are less intermediators, the crops can be bought at relatively lower prices and with a fairer share to the farmers.

Another important point is that there is clear traceability. Because all products sold by the cooperative are cultivated by member farmers, we can assure that the products are cultivated organically, without pesticides or fertilizers and with no child labour.

Of course the cooperative has challenges and they have continuously tried to address them and improve themselves. A good example is their scholarship program which helps young members to go to the university. There, they will learn the latest agriculture methods and later be able to contribute to the improvement of the cooperative.

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