FNC contributes first 240,000 trees in coffee regions to Colombia’s national reforestation goal
The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) has pledged to contribute 240,000 trees to the Colombian government’s national reforestation goal of 180 million during a four year period, as set out by president Ivan Duque.
Since 1993, the FNC has successfully implemented a forest and biodiversity conservation programme, in partnership with the Colombian and German Governments, which has had a significant impact on 59 municipalities of 8 coffee departments.
After the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development set the guidelines for this type of reforestation (native species and guaranteed care), the FNC applied itself to identify how many trees, of the millions that it has planted to date (including timber species), were eligible to contribute to the national goal.
“We are going to register the first 240,000 trees in coffee regions as the FNC’s initial contribution to the goal of 180 million trees, with the guarantee that they will be well preserved,” said Roberto Vélez, FNC’s CEO.
Additionally, for the remaining term of the current Colombian Government, the coffee grower union will contribute new plantings in an amount yet to be determined.
As a way to boost this great effort, throughout the year the FNC will carry out several “Sembratones (Plant-athons),”; the first of these was recently held in Zapatoca, Santander.
The forestry and biodiversity programme, the FNC’s flagship program for environmental sustainability, contributes to the care of ecosystems and adaptation of coffee farming to climate variability through integrated river basin management.
The programme has implemented actions for proper land use, combining coffee crops with agroforestry arrays, forestry plantation and hedges, as well as actions for conservation and care of native forests, with a management and planning approach that favors biodiversity habitat connectivity (corridors) in coffee regions and sustainable production practices that use and pollute less water, rationalise the use of agrochemicals and reduce organic and inorganic waste.
“We have a model that works. It is not about just planting, but having a care guarantee, which in our case is met because the benefited coffee growers are committed to caring for those trees,” said Vélez.
