In the Alto Mayo Protection Forest (BPAM), in the San Martín region, 567 coffee farmers have been implementing agroforestry systems in coffee cultivation since 2011, which has allowed them to improve the quality of their coffee and increase production, while avoiding deforestation of the forest that has been considered a protected natural area (ANP) for 35 years.
Thanks to the co-management of the National Service of Natural Protected Areas, Sernanp, and Conservation International, the Bosque de Alto Mayo Multiple Services Cooperative (COOPBAM) was formed, through which they have managed to export more than 1,143 tons of coffee to special markets in the United States and Europe in six years, adding to the 47% of national coffee production that comes from the Amazon and San Martín area.
Thanks to personalized training in agroforestry techniques, the forest ecosystem has allowed for improved bean quality, making BPAM coffee sustainable and specialty coffee, scoring between 80 and 85 points in cup quality.
“We realized that by taking care of the forest, the quality of our coffee beans improved, and therefore our income improved. Now we want to go further and train more producers to achieve a greater volume of production and better quality,” says Joimer Vargas, coffee taster and assistant in the quality control area of the BPAM-Sernanp Cupping School.
The campaign seeks to provide opportunities for coffee tasters, coffee growers and families in the region to conserve the Alto Mayo Protection Forest.
Forest conservation has not only enabled hundreds of coffee-growing families to develop their work sustainably, but has also allowed 112 families to obtain and improve their income through the sale of native honey, 269 families through the sale of pitahaya, and, in recent years, 53 families have begun working with vanilla. Furthermore, 228 women have formed the Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Defenders of the Alto Mayo Protection Forest, contributing to the development of the region.
“The impact has not only been economic. This effort has allowed us to reduce deforestation in the BPAM by 421,000 tons and has prevented more than 7.6 million tons of CO2 from polluting the environment, conserving biodiversity and allowing the community to develop sustainable economic activities,” says Anton Willems, executive director of Profonanpe.
#UnCoffeeToPreserve Campaign
As part of this sustainable development in the area, Sernanp, Conservation International and Profonanpe, through the BPAM Cupping School, are promoting the #UnCaféParaConservar fundraising campaign to benefit the development of coffee-growing families in BPAM.
These coffee farmers, who export internationally, aim to become Q Grader certified to improve their coffee production and quality. This will not only increase the income of the cooperative and the community, but will also cover the costs of monitoring and controlling the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), ensuring suitable conditions for the production of this sustainable coffee and promoting economic activities compatible with this natural environment.
Contributions can be made through the platform Peru by Nature through various payment methods such as Yape, PayPal, bank transfer, among others, starting from 5 soles.
About Us
Profonanpe has established itself as the most important private environmental fund in Peru. Since its founding, it has been characterized as an institution specializing in creating, developing, and implementing innovative processes in administrative and fund management, as well as participatory management and private sector involvement, for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
About Sernanp
Sernanp is an agency attached to the Ministry of the Environment responsible for the management and conservation of Protected Natural Areas (ANP), their biological diversity and the maintenance of their environmental services, linked to a comprehensive policy of sustainable development of the country and with the aim of bringing these spaces closer to the population, to make it possible for all Peruvians to take advantage of the resources they provide us in a sustainable way, thus contributing to the sustainable development of the national economy.
