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Agroforestry

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Agroforestry

Multitasking the natural way: Naturland agroforestry systems.

Naturland farmers practice agroforestry by cultivating permanent crops such as coffee or cocoa under shade trees. This practice creates valuable semi-natural habitats with high levels of biodiversity. It benefits crops by helping to reduce pests and diseases. The trees supply leaf litter and root mass which provides natural fertilisation to the soil, maintains humus balance and protects the soil from erosion and dehydration. Beyond this, these diversified cultivation systems have also improved the ability to mitigate the effects of climatic extremes. Agroforestry systems also play an important role in food security. As well as harvesting coffee and cocoa for export, farmers also benefit from a wide range of other crops such as bananas, citrus, avocado, medicinal plants, firewood and timber for their own consumption or for sale on local markets. This is why Naturland requires this highly sustainable cultivation system to be adopted for the cultivation of coffee and cocoa as it goes above and beyond the requirements of the EU organic regulation.