Evaluating the Impact of Adequate Agronomy with Emphasis in Crop Nutrition in the Poverty Alleviation of Coffee Growers in Northern Peru

IPNI-2012-PER-5

Overview

Summary The Programa Familia (PF) of the COMERCIO & CIA group in Northern Peru, is an initiative that aims to train coffee growers in the use of best agronomical practices and balanced mineral and organic nutrition to raise crop yields and in turn increase profits and reduce poverty. Despite the success of PF, there is no formal measurement of the economic impact of this initiative. This pre-proposal is the first attempt to develop a socio-economic study to carry out such assessment. Read more

Year of initiation:2012

Year of completion:2015

Interpretive Summary

2014

The Jaen Valley in Northern Peru has many contrasts between the rice growers in the lowlands, which are very well organized and use sophisticated agronomy to obtain grain yields well above 7 t/ha. While not far from there, coffee growers in the hillsides often practice a slash-and-burn type of agriculture and they do not use agricultural inputs.

Updates & Reports

2012	Project Description

Publications

Strengthening Families in Peru by Improving Coffee Yields Small holder coffee farmers who have migrated to the steep slopes of the northeastern Amazon in Peru commonly faced a repeating poverty cycle. Their perennially low yields and incomes prevent adequate reinvestment in their crops. Over time this situation has lead to extreme poverty and family instability. Soil nutrient depletion is a main factor limiting yields. Very little fertilizer is used, biomass production is low, and the risk of soil erosion is high. Eventually families move on in search of new land to start the cycle again.

Research with Impact