This presentation by Ken-ichi Abe from the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), Kyoto, Japan given during the Forests Asia Summit in the discussion forum "Social forestry and sustainable value chains towards a Green Economy in ASEAN" introduces coffee cultivation in East Timor. It explains the agricultural context, the challenges, why it's actually not hard to improve the coffee quality and how that would be actually done.

1. “Fair” Trade Coffee
Prospects for “Equitable” Green Economy
Ken-ichi ABE
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), Kyoto, Japan

2. ・Brought by Dutch colonists
・Commonly cultivated
・90% of regional income come from coffee
・More than ¼ of family entirely dependent on
coffee production
・Small cultivators buy staple foods and
necessaries from coffee revenues only
Coffee Cultivation in East Timor

3. ・ Mountainous topography
→ limited agricultural land
・ Strongly seasonal climate
→ limited planting season
・ Soil derived from limestone
→ chemically rich but
physically difficult to cultivate
far away from self-sufficiency of food
Agricultural Context in East Timor

5. Arabica variety—prized
Traditional cultivation
- shade grown
plant shade tree, then coffee seedling
- no agricultural chemicals, no fertilizer
- no pruning, no weeding
(not “cultivator,” but “harvester”)
Environment Conserving ← Creating Forest
- bird friendly - forest compatible
Coffee production in East Timor
A favored coffee producing environment…

9. Low yields
Poor quality (Potentially high quality)
Poor harvest & post-harvest techniques:
・ harvesting unripe cherries
・ leaving cherries un-peeled after harvest
・ improper drying
・ no selection for quality
Purchase price remained low
But……..

10. Is it difficult to improve quality of their coffee?
No, not at all
it is simple
・ harvesting only red ripe cherries
・ peel cherries at the end of day-harvest
・ proper drying
just do not left beans too long in sunshine
・ do selection for quality

12. Is it difficult to improve quality of their coffee?
No, not at all
Why are coffee growing communities rarely
interested in improving quality?

13. ・Little access to knowledge/methods for
improving quality and adding value
・They are cut off from outside market:
one agent/buyer, with fixed price
・Local price does not reflect real market price,
so weak incentive to improve quality

14. Investment of the outside resource to exploit the full
potential of coffee
(1)Putting local farmers/producer in global context
Research: NGO and University
(2) Improving agro-ecological, harvesting, and processing
techniques
Coffee company: PT. Toarco tradja (Indonesia)
(3) Empowering producer by promoting consumer/public
to select “green” products
To improve cultivator’s status within commodity chain
(involvement in adding-value)
Project to improve

15. Existing coffee company has shown no interest
→ too little quantity
starting cost is too high.
It can be a “green economy”
It is difficult to double yield, but easy, by proper harvest and
post-harvest processes, to double purchase price.
(17cents/kg in 2002 → 1 dollar 50cents/kg in 2013)
Can it be realized as business?

16. Green economy?

17. Quality
product
Quality
environment
Economic
viability

18. Production
Emphasizing environmental conservation,
coffee quality, to add value in the
international market.
Consumption
Inspire consumers to know how and by whom
the commodities they consume are produced
Fair trade: Links between
production and consumption

20. Child Labor → Family work

22. Improved quality of connection:
Overcome “Not In My Backyard” sentiments
Overcome dichotomy of Producer/Consumer
→ Producer/Co-producer
Significance of linkages beyond marketplace

23. Inspire consumers to know how and by whom the commodities
they consume are produced
Encourage producers how and by whom the commodities they
produce are consumed
Pride of skilled production
→ Increased confidence from gaining
adequate livelihood and maintaining family
→ Environment enhancing activities
Significance of linkages beyond
marketplace 2

24. There are over 500 million family farms
They are responsible for at least 56% of
agricultural production on 56% of the land
Coffee: 70%
Green economy never realized without
Family agriculture

25. Small farmer’s Pride for Future