Last week, 20 farmers joined our Coffee Tree Pruning Training to learn how to properly take care of their coffee trees. The training was led by Mr. Birdosh Lama, who lives in Jaisithok, Kavre and has been working in this field for 25 years and has over 2000 coffee trees in his farm. He facilitates coffee based training all over Nepal. He is an inspiration to all of the farmers who are striving to grow their coffee production and make a living as farmers in rural Nepal.
This training is part of our Expanding Sustainable Agriculture Program, a 3-year vision to grow our agricultural support to more than 500 farmers across the region. In addition to these trainings, we also provide on-site technical support as well as coffee processing support, including the creation of 3 new coffee processing centers.
A group of women coffee farmers participating in the Coffee Pruning and Management Training
Our training focused on the techniques of Coffee Pruning and Management, including how to cut unnecessary branches of the trees in order to cultivate healthier and more productive trees. We also shared best practices for pest management, frost prevention and . The training was divided into 2 days – one theoretical and one practical.
On the first day, shortly after the participants introduced themselves, our theoretical training session began with a lot of enthusiasm and positive energy. Mr. Birdosh Lama shared his experience with the farmers on how coffee pruning can increase the life expectancy of the tree. Coffee pruning can be mistaken as just cutting the branches of a plant, but without proper knowledge, pruning can actually cause great damage to the plant. He further explained about the types of branches and how branches need to be cut selectively. As plants grow, they can become too crowded and suffer loss of production. He further explained about pest management, including how to identify pests and diseases and how to handle and treat them in an organic way to create healthy trees. Proper pruning and pest management increases the health of the tree and ultimately leads to greater harvests.
Farmers participate in the 2nd day of the training with practical lessons in pruning and tree management
On the second day, the training focused on practical knowledge. We went to Golma Kafle’s coffee farm, one of the most active coffee farms in Takure. Less than a 10 minute walk from our camp, it was easily accessible and a perfect place for Birdosh to show us the ways that a coffee tree can be pruned. Coffee pruning requires you to understand and listen to what your tree is trying to say. You need to communicate with your plant and see what your coffee needs. Instead of just blindly cutting your plant you need to understand and ask yourself how and why you are pruning the plant.
Farmers meeting with trainer Birdosh Lama at the end of the 2-day training
At the end of the day, upon completing the training, farmers shared their gratitude for the new knowledge and for the information that Birdosh had shared with them. In addition to the knowledge, each participant also received one set of pruning tools, including clippers and a small saw. We hope that these tools will support them to better manage their coffee trees and increase their coffee harvest every year. We look forward to hosting more trainings like this in Takure and communities across the region.