Coffee Region Research Articles

Differential impact of altitude and a plantain cultivation system on soil macroinvertebrates in the Colombian Coffee Region

Macrofaunal composition in four plantain cropping systems in the municipalities of Armenia, Calarcá, and Circasia in Colombia was evaluated by measuring species richness, abundance, biomass, and variation in these parameters in relation to altitude and cropping system at 33 farms. The DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) model was used to evaluate the impacts of management practices on crops and their repercussions for edaphic fauna. Fourteen orders, three classes, and eight families of macrofauna were identified. The results indicate that type of cropping system influences the composition of edaphic communities, mainly through the altitudinal gradient. Fifteen species of earthworms were found, seven exotic and eight native. The greatest number of species (12) was found in systems consisting of plantains associated with coffee (AC), followed by the traditional system (TA) with 10, plantain trees (AA) with nine, and monoculture (MONO) with eight species, of which the most abundant was Pontoscolex corethrurus. In our findings, it was possible to differentiate plantain cultivation systems according to the type of management practice and the intensity and frequency of application of agrochemicals by farmers on farms. The DPSIR framework permitted differentiation among cropping systems, visualizing agroecosystems that tolerate the presence of accompanying vegetation. Variables that exert pressure and provide options for differentiating the systems were also identified. DPSIR facilitates the understanding of cropping systems and has great potential for use in agroecosystem planning in rural areas.

New records of mammals of the Coffee Region, Central Andes of Colombia using citizen science

The Coffee Region of Colombia is one of the most representative areas of the country due to its cultural appeal. 200 of the 528 mammal species in the country occur in this region. Pre-existing knowledge about the group in this region has been obtained through indirect and direct sampling methods. We present new records of mammals of the “Reserva Forestal Protectora Bosques de la Central Hidroeléctrica de Caldas (CHEC)”, located in the Coffee Region, based on vouchered citizen science records. To accomplish this, we held training workshops on the relevance of information provided by non-invasive vouchers for mammal collections that include bone remains, hairs, skin and other signs that can be found incidentally in the field by park rangers and other staff of the Reserve. In addition, we included photographic and video records of mammals taken by park rangers before and after the training workshops. We added vouchers obtained by the park rangers to the biological collection of the Natural History Museum of the Universidad de Caldas (MHN-UCa). Using this method, we obtained records of 34 mammalian species belonging to 20 families and 11 orders. We highlight the obtention of museum preserved vouchers of the Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo, Cabassous centralis (Miller 1899), and the Cauca Slender Opossum, Marmosops caucae (Thomas 1900), that had limited samples in national collections or had not been previously collected in the study area. With this work, a contribution network with the CHEC reserve staff was established, promoting the inclusion of these agents in the development of scientific research, and showing the relevance of collaborative science in assisting with filling information gaps about medium and large mammals.

MOJO: MOBILE JOURNALISM IN THE COLOMBIAN COFFEE REGION A look into the use of mobile devices in three writing rooms from the Colombian Coffee Region

With the advent of the digital age also arrived the new information and communication technologies and with them mobile devices, which changed the way in which humanity communicates both day by day and in professional ways. The forms of interpersonal interaction, the forms of journalism production and the forms of access to information all changed. This text explores a project with a strong interest in the practices that occur in traditional newsrooms, related to written journalism, and the use of smartphones and tablets to produce publishable journalistic content on their digital platforms. PEMO —short Spanish counterpart to MOJO— Cafetero, in short, is a research project that aims to account of the usage practices of smartphones and tablets in the newsrooms of three traditional media outlets in the Colombian Coffee Region: La Patria from Manizales, El Diario from Pereira and La Crónica del Quindío from Armenia.

Understanding values-based food labeling as rural development strategy in Colombia. Comparative analysis: Fair trade, geographical indications and organic labels in the coffee region and the Buenaventura rural area (Phase 1)


 
 
 
 Poverty in many rural areas of developing countries is not a new story. Rural farmers face many financial and market barriers. Furthermore, conventional farming practices are afflicted by free market pressure to produce more food for less income, resulting in destruction of the environment and neglecting human and animal welfare. Value based labeling offers alternatives to conventional food markets as they provide ethical principles to counter unsustainable trends within the capitalism system as stated by Elizabeth Barham. Hence, a planned study is aimed at evaluating selected labels such as fair trade, geographical indication/denomination of origin and organic certification in the context of the Buenaventura rural area, taking into account the lessons learned and experiences from the coffee region. Thus the labels will be explained as well as the objectives and methodology of the doctoral thesis. Finally, the findings and conclusions of the initial exploratory research draw useful insights of the current situation.
 
 
 

Paisaje cultural cafetero del Tolima: una construcción social del patrimonio

El artículo elabora la puesta en valor del paisaje cultural cafetero del Tolima mediante la definición de sus valores, atributos y su delimitación. A partir de esto, propone una agenda social para abarcar, validar y mejorar los componentes con las comunidades y, finalmente, identifica temas claves específicos para la gestión, con base en estrategias y herramientas de participación con las comunidades, de manera que los grupos sociales asuman su responsabilidad en la valoración del paisaje. Este trabajo representa el primer enfoque desarrollado acerca de la valorización del paisaje cultural cafetero del Tolima y ofrece las claves para el manejo de aspectos clave para la conservación del sitio.

Métodos anticonceptivos: Tasa de prevalencia y caracterización en mujeres del Eje Cafetero, Colombia, 2016-2019

Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia y caracterizar los métodos anticonceptivos en mujeres del Eje Cafetero, y establecer los efectos adversos de los métodos hormonales. Materiales y métodos: Estudio de corte transversal. Se incluyeron 1875 mujeres mayores de 18 años de edad, sexualmente activas y residentes en el Eje Cafetero. La investigación se realizó en la consulta externa de ginecología de seis instituciones hospitalarias (públicas y privadas), en las 6 principales ciudades del Eje Cafetero (Armenia, Calarcá, Pereira, Dos Quebradas, Manizales y Chinchiná); entre julio de 2013 y junio de 2019. Se hizo análisis descriptivo. Se hace descripción estratificada por edad a partir de los 18 años. Resultados: La edad arrojó una media de 26,45 ± 3,72 años. La prevalencia de anticoncepción – planificación familiar en las mujeres del Eje Cafetero es del 78,24 %. Los métodos hormonales son los más usados (69,12 %), seguido por la esterilización (19,23 %). Entre los hormonales, los orales son los más utilizados (60,05 %) y en segundo lugar los implantes (24,26 %). La mastalgia es el principal efecto adverso (32,92 %) seguido por el acné (27,19 %). La alteración de la función sexual se presentó en el 7,39 % de las usuarias de métodos hormonales. Conclusiones: cerca de las ¾ partes de las mujeres del Eje Cafetero utiliza un método anticonceptivo, siendo los métodos hormonales los de elección en las ⅔ de la población, con ⅓ de efectos adversos que no afectan la tasa de satisfacción.

Use of organic fertilization with irrigation in coffee production in brazilian cerrado

Coffee irrigation has increased in the main Brazilian coffee regions. However, in recent years, with climate change, years with water deficits greater than 150 mm have been observed, affecting the vegetative and productive development of the crop and also the replenishment of surface and underground springs. One practice that increases soil water retention capacity is organic fertilization. This work evaluated different combinations of irrigation and organic fertilization on the yield and quality of coffee produced in the Minas Gerais cerrado region. The treatments were: T1: total irrigation; T2: no irrigation; T3: total irrigation + organic fertilization (chicken manure, 10 ton ha-1); T4: no irrigation + organic fertilization (chicken manure, 10 ton ha-1); T5: 50% irrigation + organic fertilization (chicken manure, 10 ton ha-1). After 7 harvests, it was concluded that the treatment that combined organic fertilization with application of half of the necessary irrigation presented the best yield, superior to the treatment with total irrigation and exclusively mineral nutrition.

COFFEE PRODUCTION IN THE BRAZILIAN SAVANNAH: CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT NITROGEN NUTRITION

The Brazilian savannah, locally called “cerrado”, is a forest and shrub type ecosystem that occupied vast areas of very flat relief, mainly distributed in the central part of the country. In the mid 1970ies, this region was recognized as unfertile with little possibility of agricultural use. From there on, a large part of this biome was occupied by extensive agricultural production, due to the advances in technology. The coffee crop is very important for the Brazilian agribusiness, and in recent years, part of its cultivation has been shifted from the traditional growing areas (e.g. São Paulo and southern of Minas Gerais) to some cerrado areas (e.g. northwestern of Minas Gerais and western of Bahia). Cerrado has quite different edaphoclimatic conditions than the traditional coffee regions, and therefore crop management should be re-evaluated, including those concerning the nitrogen. This paper aims to review some studies already carried out on nitrogen fertilization in cerrado coffee plantations.

The Diverging Understandings of Quality by Coffee Chain Actors—Insights from Colombian Producers and Austrian Roasters

This paper addresses the understandings of quality recognized by diverse actors along the coffee chain with focus on specialty coffee producers. In the specialty coffee niche, the assessment of (physical) quality acts as a coordination device among chain actors that enables the identification of divergences on how quality is practiced. This paper aims to uncover how quality attributes (e.g., physical, symbolic) are understood (perceived) by value chain actors and are interwoven with quality conventions (e.g., market, green). Explorative interviews were carried out with Colombian producers located in selected coffee regions. A cupping exercise (tasting of coffee) was organized with producers. Afterwards, another informal cupping was done with roasters in Vienna, Austria. By coupling the concepts of quality attributes and conventions, the paper proposes a theoretical framework that connects quality attributes, conventions and the links to value addition (i.e., from parchment coffee to roasted coffee). Results show that the understandings of quality produce risky battles and ruptures among producers to follow certain conventions. The divergences, risky battles and ruptures in the understandings of quality acknowledged by producers are not only based on “roaster-driven” quality definitions penetrating the producers’ community, or the (individual) knowledge gained by producers, but also on the regulatory framework pursued by producers in a country with a strong coffee federation aiming to legitimize and safeguard the product’s reputation. To what extent is sound experimentation allowed, and direct exchange and interaction between producers, buyers and roasters desirable? Specialty coffee represents a differentiation alternative for small producers located in remote rural areas. Therefore, a transparent and inclusive dialogue between chain actors is required to reduce the divergences in the understandings of quality to balance the value appropriation along the chain.

Corrección de la acidez del suelo : alteraciones químicas del suelo

La alternativa más común para corregir la acidez del suelo consiste en el empleo de enmiendas calcáreas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar el efecto del encalamiento en la fertilidad de algunos suelos representativos de la zona cafetera de Colombia. Se evaluaron las propiedades químicas de cinco suelos luego de un mes de incubación con cinco dosis de cal (0; 1,25; 2,50; 5,00 y 10,00 g dm-3). Los tratamientos afectaron diferencialmente a los suelos en su pH, Ca2+, Mg2+, CIC, Al3+, Fe2+, Mn2+, NO3-, saturación de bases y relación de bases intercambiables. El pH del suelo logró explicar con mayor ajuste las variaciones de Al3+ que el porcentaje de saturación de Al3+. La CIC, determinada mediante el acetato de amonio 1 M y con pH=7,0, no fue un método adecuado para determinar el efecto del encalamiento; caso contrario ocurrió con la solución no-tamponada de cloruro de bario. Se presentó una alta correlación entre el porcentaje de saturación de bases y el pH para cada suelo; sin embargo, no se encontró una tendencia que pudiera explicar las variaciones de todos los suelos de manera conjunta. Los cambios de la CIC, generados por el incremento del pH que ocasionó el encalamiento, estuvieron en función de los contenidos de la materia orgánica. Una parte de los contenidos de Ca y Mg determinados en el análisis del suelo correspondió a la fracción no intercambiable, resultado que se relacionó con la baja solubilidad de la cal y soporta su efecto residual.

La fertilización mineral como complemento a la fertilización con abono orgánico en el cultivo del café.

Con el propósito de evaluar diferentes fuentes potásicas minerales naturales, en mezcla con pulpa de café descompuesta para emplearlas como fertilizantes en el cultivo del café, en la Estación Experimental de Pueblo Bello, ubicada en el municipio de Pueblo Bello, departamento de Cesar, zona cafetera norte de Colombia; se evaluaron dos fuentes de potasio: Sulfato de Potasio (K2SO4) y Sulpomag (K2SO4.2MgSO4), sobre la producción en kilogramos.ha-1 de café pergamino seco; esta producción fue comparada con la obtenida al fertilizar con fertilizantes inorgánicos, con materia orgánica y un testigo sin fertilizar; el café fue establecido a densidades de 3.922, 6.060 y 7.843 plantas/ha en un sistema agroforestal. De los resultados se obtuvo que en la fertilización del café bajo sombrío pueden adoptarse alternativas como la aplicación de materia orgánica en mezcla con fuentes de potasio como el K2SO4.2MgSO4, comercializado como Sulpomag, siempre que se establezcan altas densidades de siembra. El café establecido a densidades inferiores a 6.000 plantas por ha, puede ser fertilizado con fuentes orgánicas o inorgánicas.

Colección de Mamíferos, Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad de Caldas (MHN-UCa)

La Colección de Mamíferos del Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad de Caldas (MHN-UCa) alberga 3287 especímenes de mamíferos pertenecientes a 12 órdenes, 41 familias (38 nativas y 3 exóticas), 134 géneros (128 nativos y 6 exóticos) y 228 especies (7 exóticas). Los especímenes proceden de 23 departamentos del país. La colección es la más antigua y grande de este tipo en el Eje Cafetero y ha sido empleada en al menos 30 publicaciones científicas.

Stream friendly coffee: evaluating the impact of coffee farming on high-elevation streams of the Tarrazú coffee region of Costa Rica

Coffee farming is an important practice in the tropics, but studies addressing its effect on streams, especially at high elevations in high productivity regions, are limited. We evaluated streams draining the high-elevation coffee farming region of Tarrazu, Costa Rica, in terms of water quality and benthic macroinvertebrates over the course of a year. We compared our observations to regulatory benchmarks to determine overall condition, and compared our sites in terms of riparian vegetation (i.e., canopy cover, and riparian width) to determine the role of this management practice. Overall, we found that most streams fell within recommended water quality criteria and supported high proportion of pollution-sensitive taxa. Nevertheless, we found high levels of conductivity during the drier period of the year, which may signal agrochemical pollution. Also during the drier period, we found significantly higher diversity, % scrapers, and % predators, which suggests a boost in basal food sources associated to the observed high conductivity levels. We found that riparian buffer widths were not associated to improvements in water quality indicators or bio-integrity parameters on our sites. However, canopy cover was positively correlated to % shredders and family diversity, and negatively correlated to certain tolerant taxa. Our findings help to better characterize a system that is of great economic importance in the tropics, but that remains relatively under studied. It also helps inform management practices to enhance the potential of coffee agroforestry systems in promoting tropical biodiversity conservation within aquatic ecosystems.

Re-branding Colombia through Urban Transformation and Rural Regional Marketing

Colombia is now projecting a new, positive image to the world after over­coming a past characterised by politically inspired guerrilla warfare and violent conflict with narco-trafficking cartels which had ravaged the country for decades. Even before the country’s transformation, other intermediate place institutions – cities and regions – had already taken significant steps towards territorial change and marketing. This paper outlines the processes involved in urban and social transformation in the city of Medellín and in the marketing of the coffee region, as illustrative cases of city re-brand­ing and regional branding, respectively.

Local perceptions about rural abandonment drivers in the Colombian coffee region: Insights from the city of Manizales

One of the most challenging processes in the rural world is the one related to rural abandonment. Rural abandonment has drawn attention worldwide, particularly in Europe and Asia without neglecting the importance in other regional contexts such as Latin America. Even though the literature about rural abandonment drivers is vast, these pieces of literature do not identify the drivers perceived by the people who live in rural areas. Therefore, in this paper, we search for the understanding of the perceived drivers of rural abandonment in the Colombian coffee region. The specific objectives were: (1) to identify socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents; (2) to analyze local attitudes toward the countryside and farming, and (3) to identify perceived factors influencing rural abandonment. We surveyed 320 households in 12 villages around the city of Manizales (Colombia), and we conducted 27 key informant interviews, and three focal groups. Our results show that the rural population faces several socio-economic constraints; however, despite these constraints, most people are willing to remain in the countryside (85%). We discussed the variables affecting these preferences. Furthermore, we found several drivers of rural abandonment perceived by the sampled population, where they highlight the lack of State support and rural education. We concluded that our results help to deepen into the understanding of the contemporary rural dynamics related to countryside abandonment.

Influence of El Niño and La Niña on coffee yield in the main coffee-producing regions of Brazil

Coffee is the most consumed beverage and one of the most valuable commodities worldwide. The crop is very sensitive to meteorological elements, mainly at the microclimatic scale, such as solar radiation, air temperature, and precipitation. El Nino and La Nina are atmospheric phenomena characterized by temperature anomalies in tropical areas of the Pacific Ocean, and changing wind and precipitation patterns in tropical and mid-latitude regions. For these reasons, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of El Nino and La Nina on Coffea arabica and canephora yields in the states and localities of the main Brazilian coffee-producing regions. We considered the states of Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, Parana, Bahia, Espirito Santo, and Rondonia. The yield data were obtained from 79 localities for the period 2002–2017 from the Brazilian Institute of Geography. Daily mean air temperature and precipitation were obtained from the NASA-POWER platform and the quarterly registry of the value of the ONI index was obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. El Nino tended to decrease precipitation, and increase temperature and water deficits for all Brazilian coffee regions. Neutral and La Nina years were climatically similar. Climatic elements tended to be less variable and favor high coffee yields during El Nino years at national, regional, and local scales. The yield increase occurred because the hottest days of EN happen in the first quarter of the phenological cycle, when the crop is normally in the vegetative phase, favoring the generation of new branches. The highest historical yields were generally correlated with the occurrence of El Nino.

A New Species of Philothalpus Kraatz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from the Andes of Colombia

A new species of the staphylinid genus Philothalpus Kraatz, 1857 from Colombia is described and illustrated. This is the first known species from the Colombian Andes and is found in the coffee region (Quindio and Risaralda departments) associated with secondary premontane forests, Guadua forests, and coffee plantations. The new species is compared with Philothalpus chloropennis Chatzimanolis and Ashe from Panama.

The lignin of the Angustifolia Kunth guadua incorporated into the substrate of the fungus pleurotus ostreatus

Lignin is extracted from the angustifolia Kunth guadua by the process of digestion with NaOH in a reactor at high pressure and temperature, separating it from the cellulose. Purified lignin is characterized by the infrared spectroscopy that gives the functional characteristics of this one. Using the technique of microbial culture, the sowing is done in Petri dishes of the strain of the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus on agar. Here the time taken by the mycelium to cover the entire Petri dish is determined. This seed is then repeated, but by adding different amounts of lignin, determining the time to cover the Petri dishes, lignin is found to inhibit the growth of the mycelium, and from 40% of lignin in the substrate there is no growth, which is equivalent to the average lethal dose. In each box the area covered by the fungus is measured, being considered as future potential in the non-food industry of the coffee region of the country.

Laboratory rainfall-induced slope failure in a soil from the Colombian coffee region

Laboratory rainfall-induced slope failure in a soil from the Colombian coffee region

Population distribution and density of Antestiopsis thunbergii (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in the coffee growing regions of Rwanda in relation to climatic variables

Antestia bug, Antestiopsis thunbergii (Gmelin, 1970) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is one of the most damaging pests of coffee (Coffea arabica, L.) worldwide, except in central and south America. A two – year study was conducted to assess the distribution and the density of Antestia bug in the coffee growing regions of Rwanda, and to determine the effects of climatic variables on density of Antestia bug. 205 farms were surveyed in 2016 and 191 farms in 2017. The density and damage of Antestia bug were quantified and climatic variables including temperature, rainfall, wind speed and relative humidity were recorded. Antestia bug was distributed in all coffee growing regions of Rwanda, during both study periods. Over both years, the highest density was recorded in the northern region of the country while the lowest was recorded in the eastern region. The economic damage due to Antestia bug ranged from 0 to 92% and from 0 to 81% in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicated that temperature and rainfall significantly influenced pest density. However, wind speed was not significantly associated with the density of Antestia bug. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated three distinct groupings. Coffee regions that received higher, regular rains had a higher population of Antestia bug than where rains were erratic. Similarly, the areas where temperature was consistently high had high densities of Antestia bug. Wind speed was highly and negatively related to principal component one. This study indicated the need to intensify control measures against Antestia bug. Furthermore, the impact of climate change on density and damage of Antestia bug and other coffee pests needs further research.