Digital innovation to protect Colombian coffee farms and farmers
The coffee berry borer (CBB) is the most serious coffee pest worldwide, causing crop damage in excess of $US500 million, annually. In Colombia, 75% of coffee crops are affected by this pest. It directly damages coffee beans, destroying their taste and making them unsaleable. To exacerbate the problem, climate change enables the wider spread of CBB, especially at higher altitudes. To overcome losses, the trend amongst farmers is to intensify their activities and expand growing areas. CABI and partners are producing an alert system that uses climatic data and remote sensing technology to give farmers advance warnings of CBB surges, allowing them time to access and apply controls effectively. The project will also focus on overcoming gender disparities in coffee farming due to reduced participation by women.
The value smallholders place on pollinators highlighted in ecological intensification study
CABI has led new research which reveals that more than half (57 percent) of smallholder farmers in two Kenyan counties have knowledge of pollination and consciously act to maintain bees, birds and butterflies while fighting pests and diseases including the Fall armyworm and coffee berry disease.