Regenerative practices

Through our farmer support programme Volcafe Way, we equip farmers with practical training on good agricultural practices, including pruning for rehabilitation, stumping and renovation, and the planting of resilient coffee varieties.

In addition to training farmers on monitoring the cost of production on farms, as well as on putting in place practices that contribute to safe working conditions for both farmers and workers, we also promote integrated pest and weed management practices that comply with applicable regulatory requirements and certification standards, and aim to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides where feasible.

In parallel, we are strengthening our approach to monitoring the use of crop protection products, including glyphosate, across our supply chain. Our trainings are aligned with the pesticide requirements of the Global Coffee Platform (GCP), Rainforest Alliance and/or 4C. In parallel, we have developed plans – supported by farmer training – to monitor glyphosate use throughout our supply chain.

To promote the safe rational and responsible use of crop protection products, we carry out the following activities:

• Training on integrated pest and weed management, including the role of beneficial insects<
• Safe-use guidance for farmers and workers, with a strong emphasis on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), safe storage and safe application.
• Development of a Crop Protection Strategy grounded in risk-based monitoring and testing by our Health, Safety, Environment and Quality team (HSEQ)
• Support for farmers in adopting our Volcafe RS Standard or, where relevant, third-party certifications such as the Rainforest Alliance’s Regenerative Agriculture certification through our Volcafe Way farmer support programme.

We recognise that training alone does not guarantee adoption, and therefore complement our programmes with ongoing coaching, farm-level follow-up, and incentives tailored to local contexts.

Soil fertility and erosion management are central pillars of our Volcafe Way training curriculum and our Volcafe RS Standard. Guided by integrated nutrient management principles, we support farmers in using fertilisers efficiently – drawing on soil analysis results where feasible – and in adopting practices such as cover cropping, intercropping where relevant, contour planning, and maintaining live fences and buffer zones along waterways. Where possible, we also promote the use of more environmentally friendly fertilisers by  facilitating access to more environmentally friendly inputs, including targeted financial support or access to credit, where appropriate.

Aligned with circularity principles, we train farmers to convert coffee by-products – such as husks, pruning residues, mucilage, and pulp – into high quality compost and explore  opportunities to explore additional income streams, including the potential generation of carbon credits from biochar production, where feasible and appropriate. In several of our biochar initiatives, Volcafe works with a specialised service provider to provide farmers with the necessary reactors. By processing these materials on-farm, especially mucilage, we help prevent their discharge into waterways. Together, these practices reduce reliance on external inputs and strengthen on-farm nutrient cycles.

Through Volcafe Way, we support farmers in protecting water resources by promoting the conservation of water sources, maintaining buffer zones, and improving water use efficiency both on-farm and at central processing sites. In water-stressed areas, we prioritise in-field water conservation, rainwater harvesting, and the use of eco-pulpers to reduce water consumption during processing.

Our wet mills are equipped with eco-pulpers and wastewater treatment systems designed to reduce environmental impact. We also set clear expectations that wastewater from central coffee processing sites must be appropriately treated and managed in line with applicable legal requirements. In addition, our Volcafe Way trainings set clear expectations for wastewater management: wastewater from central coffee processing sites must be properly treated, and any discharge into aquatic ecosystems must comply with all applicable legal quality parameters.

Efficient water management practices are implemented at our wet mills, where specialized equipment enables water recycling and optimizes its use. This approach ensures responsible and efficient water use, minimizes waste, and supports the sustainable management of this critical resource.

Around the world, coffee is often grown in agroforestry systems due to the multiple benefits that shade trees can provide: improving farm resilience to climate change, creating additional income, reducing inorganic inputs, sequestering carbon, and promoting biodiversity, among others. Volcafe supports producers to strengthen their agroforestry systems, using a highly contextualised, farmer-centric approach. Our agronomists work with farmers to optimise the beneficial effects of shade trees, while not compromising coffee productivity. They take local conditions (e.g. farming system, climate, altitude, soil conditions) and existing shade levels into consideration to understand what improvements can be made.

Our work on agroforestry is guided through our collaboration with CATIE. Together, we have developed four agroforestry density models tailored to different farm profiles, combining service, native, and non-native timber and fruit trees. These origin-specific models outline different ways trees can be incorporated – such as through live fences, boundaries, fringes, or block reforestation – based on each farm’s needs and current shade coverage.

Our recommendations stem from a structured farm diagnostic and adapt to four shade categories. Based on the densities below, we tailor our recommendations to ensure that farmers are able to maintain the balance between shade coverage and productivity:

• Dense or excessive shade: more than 50% coverage
• Medium and balanced shade: 30-50%
• Low shade: 10-30%
• Full sun or lack of shade: less than 10%

Tree height and circumference recommendations vary accordingly to ensure that each agroforestry design aligns with the farm’s conditions.

Agroforestry is one of the key levers we use to strengthen on-farm biodiversity and, in several origins, to support diversification and improve household food security. Where fallow lands exist – or where set-aside areas are mandated by governments – we promote either reforestation or agroforestry systems, depending on the local context and regulatory requirements.