Tag Archives: Water-Smart Agriculture

Win-win: Blue Harvest providing solutions that help cooperatives get back on their feet while PROTECTING WATER

2018-04-30 Maren Barbee Comments Off

In Blue Harvest, we have been working on improving water use efficiency and waste water treatment in wet mills, protecting water recharge areas in the farms by applying soil and water conservation practices (here and here) with a focus on regenerative coffee , as well as working with water system operators and water committees to […]

Celebrating the public launch of the Spanish language Water Smart Agriculture blog by CRS – Agua Verde

2017-08-02 Kraig Kraft Comments Off

One of the biggest deficiencies of the Coffeelands blog is that we have only published in English to a broad, sector wide audience. We here at the blog report, analyze and opine on issues relevant to origin (with a very Latin-American centric perspective due to where we are all based); yet when these same discussions […]

Protecting Water Resources with Supply Chain Actors

2017-02-02 Maren Barbee Comments Off

By working together with all actors of a supply chain, we can tackle problems and identify solutions in a more sustainable and efficient way. CRS Blue Harvest seeks to protect and restore potable water resources in agricultural lands by promoting water and soil conservation practices and improving water governance. In Central America, we work in […]

Get me SOM

2016-07-07 Paul Hicks Comments Off

Over the past 18 months (and more), we’ve posted often on the critical role of soils in terms of sustainable coffee production and water resources management. With all we’ve written, if I had to choose one recommendation for improving coffee farm management, it would be this: “Increase Soil Organic Matter” Soil Organic Matter is abbreviated as SOM. […]

Calculating Water Benefits on Coffee Farms

2016-06-23 Paul Hicks Comments Off

This a guest post by Will Garde, from the Caffeinated Engineer, who has provided technical support to CRS’ Blue Harvest program this past year. Knowledge-based Coffee Watershed Management We know a lot about sustainable agricultural practices, and the specialty coffee industry has been a pioneer in incentivizing farmers to adapt good practices. But these practices, require time […]

Analyze This: Getting to Know Soils in the Coffeelands

2016-02-24 Hugh Aprile Comments Off

A farmer must know his or her soil. I mean, really know it: what lives in it (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, etc.); what’s decomposing in it and how much (organic matter); how hungry it is (for certain types of nutrients); if it needs a drink or needs to dry out (moisture level); and how it’s feeling […]