The cultivation of conilon coffee in Espírito Santo has a negative carbon balance, that is, it retains more greenhouse gases than it emits throughout its production process. The conclusion comes from the research “GHG Balance of Café Conilon Capixaba”, promoted by the Council of Coffee Exporters of Brazil (Cecafé), in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Program for Coffee Production in ES, of the State Secretariat for Agriculture, Supply, Aquaculture and Fisheries (Seag), under technical-scientific guidance from the Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Management and Certification (Imaflora) and professor Carlos Eduardo Cerri, from the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP) .
The research had two objectives: to calculate the carbon balance of traditional conilon coffee production and that which adopts more sustainable practices, considering pasture as the previous land use, and to estimate the additionality generated by the change in agricultural management, starting from a cultivation scenario traditional conilon coffee for those who adopt more conservationist practices, among them, the return of post-harvest residues to the soil, the maintenance of pruning residues in the crops, the practice of covering the soil between the coffee rows, in the initial phase of farming, and the preference for organic or organomineral fertilizers.
“The definition of previous land use took into account global discussions related to adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change, new anti-deforestation trade rules and ensuring food security, recognizing the potential of Brazilian agriculture to meet growing demand for food, fibers and drinks, including coffee, without expanding the production frontier to areas of native vegetation”, explains the president of Cecafé, Márcio Ferreira.
In the scenario of changing land use from pasture, the carbon balance of traditional production is 3,01 tons of CO2 equivalent per hectare per year, a result that takes into account the sequestration of 6,91 tCO2/ha/ year retained in the soil, subtracted from the 3,9 tCO2e/ha/year emitted through the application of nitrogen fertilizers, pruning residue, burning of fossil fuels and other sources of emissions that are part of coffee management.
Carbon additionality increases when considering the change in land use from pasture to conilon production with the adoption of sustainable practices, whose coffee plantations have a carbon balance of less 8,24 tCO2eq/ha/year, a result that takes into account the sequestration of 12,22 tCO2eq/ha/year retained in the soil and a total of 3,98 tCO2eq/ha/year emitted during the production process.
“The implementation of sustainable practices in the cultivation of conilon coffee almost triples the retention of equivalent carbon dioxide in the soil in relation to traditional production, in the scenario of transition from pasture to coffee farming, making the activity even more 'carbon negative'. And it is always worth remembering that, when we talk negative, when it comes to the carbon balance, we are actually referring to a positive result for the environment", explains Professor Cerri.
In another scenario, when analyzing the change in agricultural management, moving from traditional cultivation to coffee farming with the adoption of more conservationist practices, conilon Espírito Santo also records a negative carbon balance, in the order of less than 1,36 tons of CO2eq per hectare per year.
“The results of the three scenarios analyzed are favorable to mitigating the effects of climate change, since the intense emission of greenhouse gases is one of the main causes of global warming, and the adoption of good agricultural practices in coffee cultivation appears as a way to contribute even more to this mitigation”, analyzes Laura Polli, one of the technicians responsible for the study.
The Secretary of Agriculture of Espírito Santo, Ênio Bergoli, interprets that the results obtained highlight the importance of the State's Coffee Farming Sustainable Development Program, which has 27 projects, highlighting the one relating to the adaptation of eight thousand coffee properties in the process of sustainability until the end of 2026. The investment in this action is RS 5,45 million.
“Capixaba coffee growing boosts the state economy with the advancement of sustainability and technology. The program launched last year expands the dissemination of sustainable practices in coffee farming and the adoption of ESG practices, in addition to providing support for our producers to be included in this process of adapting their properties. By acting on the proposed economic, environmental and social indicators, producers will achieve better performance and economic results, therefore being more competitive and serving the most demanding markets. This will result in the preservation and conservation of natural resources, in addition to promoting an improvement in the quality of life on coffee properties”, highlights the secretary.
Imaflora's ESG Manager, Alessandro Rodrigues, adds that the research highlights the environmental conservation efforts carried out by coffee growers in Espírito Santo, since, on the rural properties evaluated in the study, there is, on average, 338,67 t of CO2eq stored in the form of native vegetation. “This is an environmental benefit not included in the GHG balance of conilon coffee and denotes that, in Brazil, coffee production and environmental conservation are linked”, he reveals.
Bergoli also highlights the potential for connecting coffee farming in ES with green investments, through the various financing instruments available to expand the adoption of sustainable management in crops. The additionality of 8,2 tons of carbon obtained from the sustainable cultivation of conilon coffee is a determining factor for investments in the recovery of around 60% of Espírito Santo's pastures, which have moderate to severe levels of degradation.
“In short, the results highlight Brazil’s potential to meet the growing demand from global industries and consumers for sustainable products and reveal that the adoption of good practices is vital to mitigate extreme climate effects, mitigating economic impacts on producers’ income” , adds the president of Cecafé.
To quantify carbon sequestration, 22 soil situations were collected, up to one meter deep, respecting the methodology recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), from the producing regions in the north and south of Espírito Santo, with the same clay content, and representative of the traditional and sustainable production modes of conilon coffee and pasture areas.
In parallel, information was obtained on the inputs applied and operations associated with the production of traditional and sustainable conilon coffee on 25 coffee properties, so that an inventory of GHG emissions could be achieved based on the methodology provided by the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program – recognized internationally and widely used in different sectors of the economy.
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