Digital Farms

Applying sensors to farming tools that will aggregate and relay accurate, timely and life-changing
information to farmers’ mobile phones.

The Challenge

Isolated farmers do not have access to information needed to respond to persistent challenges.
Even basic information, such as harvest size or income are not accurately or honestly recorded.
Our work with farmers has pinpointed the following areas in which farmers are lacking vital data:

 Production Data – particularly important for responding to environmental changes and

preventing food loss in pre- and post-harvest seasons
 Logistics Data – critical for avoiding food spoilage by accessing markets for products and
ensuring transport logistics
 Agricultural Information – for low cost, innovation practices suitable for increasing yields
and managing pests

Growing Organic Coffee

To stop using chemical fertilizers, fungicides, and insecticides – and what we replaced them with.

Coffee Variety: - Tekisic, Catimor

 Bourbon:more susceptible to disease but has what World Coffee Research

(WCR) describes as “very good potential at high altitudes”.

Why Plant Shade Trees?

Shade-grown coffee ripens more slowly, giving the cherries more time to develop complex
flavours. But that’s not the only benefit. They also preserve the local biodiversity and provide
nutrients such as nitrogen. They’re an important aspect of climate-smart agriculture.

We knew this would mean more work, because you have to manage the shade trees as well as the
coffee. But we also knew it could have positive effects on both our coffee and our soil.

There are two main types of shade trees: permanent and temporal. The difference between them
is that, once the coffee trees grow tall, temporal shade trees won’t be able to provide shade. You
then need to replace them with permanent ones.

Temporal shade trees

Name Management Benefits

Tephrosia (Tephrosia vogelii, Tephrosia candida) Easy to manage

Produces several flowers that attract bees, which is useful for coffee production in the long term

Pigeon pea, also known as Gandú/Gandul/Guandul (Cajanus cajan) Lacks the capacity to
withstand high humidity (becomes more susceptible to disease) and suffers during cold periods
from October to March

Nitrogen-fixing legume

Castorbean (Ricinus communis), known as Higuerilla in Spanish Slow to germinate

Results are inconclusive, but some believe it protects coffee roots from unwanted insects

Permanent shade trees

These are trees with a long life span and whose foliage contributes to soil nutrition.

Name Management Benefits

Alder (Alnus glutinosa), known as aliso in Spanish Fast growing

Nitrogen fixing

Fast growing

When pruned it starts growing again

Silky oak/Australian silver oak (Grevillea robusta) Good foliage distribution, tolerant of poor
soil

High foliage

There are many uses for the “residue” (chopped wood) from pruning

From Chemical Fertilizer to Effective Microorganisms

Next, we decided to move away from chemical fertilizers. This meant replacing them with effective
microorganisms (EM), a sustainable way to improve the soil. And although it sounds extremely
technical, it’s relatively easy for farmers to do.

What Is EM?

EM combines beneficial microorganisms that exist in nature, such as lactic acid bacteria or yeast,
with native microorganisms living in soil and water. This maximizes their natural abilities. It’s a
people-friendly and environmentally safe technology. And what’s more, several studies have
shown that it increases production yields and reduces cost.

How Does EM Work?

Large numbers of bacteria exist in soil. In fact, just one teaspoon (approx one gram) contains
anywhere from a hundred million to one billion microorganisms.

Microorganisms are a fundamental part of the ecosystem. They facilitate its functioning by
breaking down organic substances and circulating nutrients. However, when the quantity of
healthy microorganisms in the soil decreases, or the balance is disrupted, other living things such
as earthworms will be negatively affected and the soil will become impoverished.

The diversity of microorganisms contained in EM and the metabolites they produce will increase
the number and diversity of microorganisms in the soil. When they’re activated, single-celled
organisms called protozoans and other, larger organisms such as worms will increase in number.
The result? A healthier ecosystem. Soil with a diversified microflora will inhibit the growth of
specific disease-causing bacteria – which helps prevent cultivation failure.

EM on The Farm

We realized we could produce it in-house using the natural resources at the farm and some high-
sugar content.

We’ve only been doing this for a short period of time, just under a year and a half, but we’re
already seeing the benefits. We’ve stopped using chemical fertilizer and our coffee trees are
healthy. We expect to see this positive result in the cup quality as well.

Shade Trees Provide Organic Fertilizer

This year, for the first time, we are also applying our first organic fertilizer created with the pruned
branches and leaves of our shade trees. Our father discovered that we can do this if we just
reduce the organic matter to a small particle size.

First, we had to invest in a wood crusher and compost tanks. In these tanks, we mix pruning
residues, soil, and excrement from the goats, sheep, and chickens that we keep at the farm. In
some tanks, we also add earthworms that can speed up the decomposition of organic material.

We’ve yet to see the results, yet we have strong hopes. We feel good knowing that this fertilizer is
made from farm byproducts, is good for the environment, and is considered to be good for coffee.

Organic Insecticide and Fungicide

After switching from chemical fertilizer to organic, we next replaced our chemical insecticides and
fungicides with natural ones made in house. This was particularly important because shade trees
lead to be less sunlight and more moisture – if not watched closely, this can cause mold to grow.

We used plants and natural ingredients to do this, and it has proven effective. Undesired insects
and fungi are at a minimum.

Climate Smart Agriculture

“I began to prepare a natural compost made out of manure, natural fungi,
microorganisms, and other organic materials with my professor’s help and, as a result, I
better understood the soil and the nutrients the plants need from the soil.”
Communicate from Origin
There are many ways to communicate about our product, and I recommend doing it
creatively. Try offering videos, great pictures, or funny stories of what happens on the
farm.