Good agricultural practices make Brazilian coffee farming 'carbon negative'

Faced with growing concern about climate change and the increasingly clear sign for a green global economy, the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé) developed the Carbon Project, a study carried out under the technical-scientific leadership of the Management and Certification Institute Forestry and Agriculture (Imaflora) and professor Carlos Eduardo Cerri, from the Luiz de Queiroz Higher School of Agriculture (Esalq), at the University of São Paulo (USP).

With the aim of estimating the carbon balance in coffee growing in Minas Gerais, the project measured the release and sequestration of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the three main regions of the largest coffee producing state in Brazil: South, Cerrado and Matas de Mines.

GHG emissions were estimated based on the *GHG Protocol, in 40 typical coffee farming properties in Minas Gerais. In the field stage, soil and coffee tree samples were extracted from four pairs of properties representing regional productive realities, aiming to quantify variations in soil carbon stocks up to one meter deep and in plant biomass due to the adoption of practices conservation management.

“The conclusion of the studies indicates that the adoption of good practices in coffee farming generates additionality in carbon sequestration, as it starts to retain even more CO2eq in the soil and in the plant than it emits into the atmosphere, in relation to traditional management, which is already 'carbon negative'”, explains Professor Cerri.

“Considering the transition from traditional to more conservationist management, on average of the properties evaluated, a negative carbon balance of 10,5 tons of CO2eq per hectare per year was found, showing that Brazilian coffee farming is an important asset for mitigation of climate change”, adds Renata Potenza, Climate and Emissions coordinator at Imaflora.

This result takes into account the balance between the 12,25 t CO2eq/ha/year retained in the soil and in plant biomass minus the 1,74 t CO2eq/ha/year emitted through the application of fertilizers and agrochemicals and the use of fuels, electricity and limestone.

Traditional coffee farming 

Even on properties where coffee is produced in a more traditional way, the result found by the study is positive, as the activity also sequesters more CO2eq than it emits GHGs, which is explained by the fact that these conventional practices are already more advanced in terms of sustainability.

Based on the results of the study and data from specialized literature, a negative carbon balance of 1,63 t CO2eq/ha/year is reached, calculating the 3,40 tons sequestered in the plant's biomass, compared to 1,77 .XNUMX tonnes from emissions from field production, implying that conventional coffee farming is also “carbon negative”.

Cecafé's Sustainability Manager, Silvia Pizzol, recalls that, as in Brazil coffee production is combined with the preservation of native vegetation within rural properties, the study also evaluated the impact of these forest areas maintained by coffee growers. “For each hectare of coffee cultivated, there is, on average, 50 tons of carbon stored in the form of Legal Reserves and Permanent Preservation Areas (APP)”, she reveals.

The conclusion of the Cecafé Carbon Project research scientifically shows that Brazilian coffee farming is a fundamental asset in contributing to the reduction of gas emissions associated with climate change, retaining more than releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

“These results are crucial, as they are in line with the global economy's greener signals and could open doors for Brazil to access these credits aimed at activities that respect ESG criteria. Furthermore, they meet the growing demand from industries and consumers for sustainable products and, finally, show that the adoption of good practices is vital to mitigate extreme climate effects, mitigating economic impacts on producers' income”, concludes the general director of Cecafé, Marcos Matos.

In addition to the technical-scientific coordination of Imaflora and professor Carlos Eduardo Cerri, from Esalq/USP, the Cecafé Carbon Project has support from financing partners Starbucks and Lavazza Foundation and implementing partner Educampo, from Sebrae-MG.