Changing the way you farm is a big decision when the farm also needs to support your family. Through FAF Future Farmers, coffee producers in Brazil receive the knowledge and support to make changes step by step, starting with the soil and the conditions on their own farms.
Future Farmers is FAF Coffees’ project for on-farm training and advice. We’ve been buying coffee through FAF since 2010 and are one of the partners supporting this work. For us, it’s a way to keep developing our relationships with producers and contribute to the work that needs to happen long before the coffee reaches our roastery.
What the programme does
The work begins by listening to the producer and planning changes together. What is already working well, what needs to improve and what can be achieved with the farm’s resources? Producers need to understand why a method is suggested, what it is intended to change and which results they need to monitor.
FAF describes regeneration as restoring the capacity of a system that has deteriorated over time. In farming, this includes building up life in the soil, protecting the ground and making room for more species, giving the farm a better chance of coping with pressures.
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Understanding life in the soil
Soil samples and analysis help the team and the producer understand what is happening below the surface. They examine the soil food web, meaning the interactions between organisms in the soil, and also use soil chromatography as an analytical tool. This provides a starting point for discussing what each farm needs.
Protecting the soil and supporting natural processes
Cover crops help keep the soil protected. Through the project, producers receive seed mixes for cover crops and guidance on using biological inputs, with support from FAF’s biofactory and the team working on the farms. The choice of practices and inputs is guided by the farm’s needs and the plan developed together with the producer.
Making room for more species
A wider variety of trees can provide shade, material to cover and feed the soil, and a more varied environment around the coffee. FAF’s nursery is part of this support, and tree seedlings are distributed to producers through Future Farmers. The aim is to encourage more interactions within the growing system and strengthen its ability to cope with a changing climate, pests and other challenges.
Connecting farming practices with coffee quality
Producers also meet to learn more about harvesting, post-harvest processing and coffee quality. This connects decisions made in the fields with the finished coffee. FAF highlights links between regenerative farming practices, sweeter coffee and larger beans, pointing to the importance of biodiversity, returning plant material to the soil, regular pruning and appropriate light levels.
The people behind the work
Future Farmers involves 32 active producers across ten municipalities. The project works in areas including Mogiana, Alta Mogiana, the areas around São Sebastião da Grama and Divinolândia, and southern and south-western Minas Gerais. Conditions vary between farms, so the changes need to take different paths too.
Felipe Croce and agroecologist Gabriela Isidoro, whom we call Gabi, coordinate the project. A team of seven field technicians works across the regions where the producers are based, helping them put what they learn into practice and following up on progress.
Among the producers we’ve shared stories about are João Hamilton and Ivan and Rose dos Santos in Caconde, as well as Rose and Leandro in Ibitiúra de Minas. We buy microlots from both João and Ivan and have learned more about their work by visiting their farms. Those meetings also bring more detail to the stories we tell through photos and product descriptions back home.
Our support for Future Farmers
The producers and the team at FAF do the work on the farms. Our support helps them test ideas, monitor progress and share what they learn. We’ve also contributed to both the coffee nursery and the tree nursery at FAF, helping to get future plantings started.
Buying coffee and supporting projects are both part of our long relationship with FAF and its network. We want to keep buying great coffee while helping producers gain the knowledge and tools to develop their farming practices over time.
Read more about FAFCoffees, Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza and our partnership.
