Just like his great-grandfather, he loves coffee, but with a big difference: he does not deforest, on the contrary, he grows and harvests sustainably in harmony with the Alto Mayo Protected Forest in the San Martin region. Like him, there are 567 coffee growers who have been working towards the conservation of the Alto Mayo Protected Forest.
You can tell a good coffee from its taste, but also from how it helps the forest that gives it life, grow. This is what Joimer Vargas Coronel, at only 24 years of age, has learned. He knows a lot about coffee thanks to his family legacy. "We have been born into coffee since we were children. My father is the third generation making coffee, we would be the fourth generation", explains the young coffee grower.
The Vargas family is a great example of how a group of coffee growers that used to practice slash and burn cultivation, in other words, deforesting, moved to an agroforestry system without affecting the natural protected area around them. For example, Joimer's farm is called La Fortaleza, in the district of Pardo Miguel, Dos de Mayo hamlet, in the buffer zone of the protected area.
Now they have a farm that belongs to the family. This was not the case before. In the past three generations, the Vargas had to migrate from land to land. Due to the classic method of deforestation, burning for cultivation impoverishes the soil and they were forced to find new plots of land. This situation continued until Joimer and the rest of the coffee farmers learned about the conservation agreements promoted by Conservation International and its partner, the National Service of Protected Areas (SERNANP).
"It was only until 2011, when the conservation agreements were signed that we learned that coffee could be produced in previously harvested territory. We tested the coffee beans and got good results. Then the coffee Cooperativa (COOPBAM), was created. My father was the first president," recalls Joimer.
Coffee and forest conservation
Joimer has known how to plant coffee since he was a child, just like the rest of his family. He knew how to grow the beans, when to pick them, how to harvest them, dry them and sell them to the first buyer available. That was the only option... it was also the same thing the rest of the local coffee farmers did.
"We didn't know what else was out there, nor did we care because there was no one to buy from us," says Joimer. With the creation of the coffee cooperative, COOPBAM, promoted by Conservation International, they began to train and strengthen the community organization that already existed so that coffee growers could access better prices and thus improve their production and their quality of life.
Joimer recalls that the lessons learned were far better than what they had expected. "In the Cooperative they taught me many things. They taught me to work as a family and that coffee growing is a family job because it requires a lot of labor; it is not possible without the help and hard labor of the family. So, we learned how to improve the fermentation processes, good post-harvest management and proper drying and storage. With all this work we were able to sell our coffee at a better price".
Thanks to the sustainable production carried out by the Cooperative and the conservation agreement to which it subscribed, the coffee growers were able to access trainings in quality control, cupping and to learn about better coffee management.
Now they not only obtain better prices at a national level, but also export to buyers in Europe and the United States. "When we learned the techniques of coffee cupping, we began to discover new fragrances, aromas and flavors. Thus, we learned that there are coffees with different acidities that, despite being in the same region, there is a variety of very different flavors from producer to producer", emphasizes the young coffee grower, who is currently also responsible for the La Fortaleza farm.
However, upon tasting another quality of coffee, Joimer asked himself, "What should we do to improve my father's coffee farm?
"As a result of this I began to investigate. I explained to my father that we should plant in this way, harvest the beans in that way, especially the ripe ones. To ferment at a specific time and leave it for so long, to store everything in the right conditions", Joimer recalls.
The results were soon seen. From a coffee with a score of 81 points, thanks to better fermentation processes, they rose to 84 and 85 points. The farm even sells its coffee to roasters and coffee shops in other parts of Peru.
Joimer: the coffee taster
The improvement was not only felt in Joimer's coffee plantation, but also in his professional training. Thanks to the creation of a school of tasters created thanks to the co management of the Alto Mayo Protected Forest Administration between SERNANP and Conservation International Peru, he participated in a specialized course, becoming "Q Arabica Grader" certified by the Coffee Quality Certification, which endorses him as an international coffee taster. His was recently invited to participate, for the first time, as a judge in the second edition of the Regional Specialty Coffee Competition: The San Martin 2022 Cup, in which the best coffee from San Martin was selected.
"We must start producing coffee in degraded soils, but in a better way, with technified agroforestry systems, taking care of wildlife, vegetation, taking care of the waters. I would not like coffee cultivation to contribute to climate destruction. I would like it to be an economic income, but one that contributes to the conservation of the environment", he concludes.
The Alto Mayo Protected Forest:
The Alto Mayo Protected Forest is a natural area protected by the Peruvian State that was established on July 23, 1987. It conserves 182,000 hectares of forest and it was created to secure the water supply for human, agricultural and industrial consumption for more than 280,000 people. In addition to having unique landscapes and a high biological diversity, it is home to more than 500 species of birds, and 400 species of orchids including the fuchsia slipper orchid (Phragmipedium kovachii) considered one of the most beautiful in the world and the long whiskered owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi), the smallest owl in the word.