{"id":29115,"date":"2025-11-19T08:59:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T07:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/?post_type=news&p=29115"},"modified":"2026-04-08T10:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T08:18:16","slug":"deforestation-free-coffee-production-in-the-yangambi-biosphere-reserve","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/pt-pt\/news\/deforestation-free-coffee-production-in-the-yangambi-biosphere-reserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Deforestation-free Coffee Production in the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In a step toward sustainable agriculture and forest conservation, the Center for International Forestry Research<\/a> (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with the GIZ<\/span> project SAFE<\/a>, has officially launched a new initiative to promote coffee production without deforestation in the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve, DR Congo<\/em>. <\/span>The project is part of a broader effort to align local agricultural practices with global environmental standards<\/span><\/b>, including the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). To kick off the project, a joint mission was conducted from the 14<\/span>th <\/span>– 21<\/span>st<\/span> September 2025, bringing together technical experts from GIZ-SAFE and CIFOR-ICRAF.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

At the heart of this initiative is the <\/span>\u201cChamp-Ecole-Paysan\u201d<\/span><\/b> (CEP) model, <\/span>a participatory approach that combines sustainable farming techniques with hands-on training for local producers.<\/span><\/b> The model is designed to empower communities while preserving the ecological integrity of the Yangambi landscape. The mission aimed to establish direct collaboration between the implementing teams, clarify the methodology of the CEP model, and ensure that all stakeholders shared a common understanding of the project\u2019s goals, as well as synergies with other EU-funded initiatives, including the \u201cFor\u00eat\u201d project.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

One of the <\/span>key outcomes<\/span><\/b> of the discussions was the agreement to <\/span>establish<\/span><\/b> 50 demonstration coffee plantations<\/span><\/b>, each covering 0.5 hectares, for a total of 25 hectares. These plots will be managed by 50 lead farmers and are expected to influence up to 450 additional producers in future seasons. The <\/span>agroforestry system will integrate coffee plants with banana trees and leguminous cover crops<\/span><\/b> such as cowpea, peanut, or soybean, which help improve soil fertility and reduce erosion. <\/span>All plantations will be georeferenced and mapped<\/span><\/b>, with data stored in a centralized project database. CIFOR-ICRAF will also produce a technical factsheet detailing the coffee production model, including its economic, agronomic, and social benefits. This document will serve as a reference for future scaling and policy alignment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Field Visit at CIFOR-ICRAF sites. \u00a9Yves Tshibangu Kasongo\/GIZ<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Field visits provided further insight into the project\u2019s implementation<\/strong>. At the Champ-Ecole-Paysan site, the SAFE team observed CIFOR-ICRAF\u2019s demonstration plot, discovering that coffee and banana components were already in place, while leguminous crops were yet to be added as explained by the team. Discussions focused on planting techniques, labor requirements, and cultivar selection.<\/strong><\/p>

The team also visited INERA-Jardin Botanique de Meise nursery facilities, established to increase the availability of high-quality seedlings<\/strong>, a key constraint from the outset of building a strong value chain.<\/p>

Addressing this challenge is a core priority for the SAFE team and its partners, as it underpins the development of a resilient and sustainable value chain.<\/strong> In this context, CIFOR-ICRAF highlighted the importance of climate-resilient cultivars<\/strong> such as Lula mixte<\/em>, which perform well on degraded lands outside forest zones. These results build on earlier foundational work carried out by the Meise Botanic Garden together with INERA. This collaboration established the basis for selecting Coffea canephora lines, enabling the analysis and promotion of varieties from existing collections in Yangambi. This work proved essential in achieving the current results.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Nursery of the INERA-Yangambi coffee programme, supported by the Meise Botanic Garden \u00a9Yves Tshibangu Kasongo\/GIZ<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Nursery of the INERA-Yangambi coffee programme, supported by the Meise Botanic Garden \u00a9Yves Tshibangu Kasongo\/GIZ<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

A highlight of the mission was the tour of the green energy production unit<\/strong>, which uses sustainably harvested wood to generate electricity and biochar. This facility is intended to power mini agro-processing units<\/strong>, including a palm nut transformation plant initiated by Virunga Alliance. The energy hub is seen as a catalyst for local economic development and green value chain promotion.<\/p>

The alignment of technical understanding, clear reporting indicators, and the emergence of complementary initiatives\u2014such as Virunga Foundation\u2019s \u201cCorridor Vert\u201d project\u2014point to a promising future for sustainable agriculture in Yangambi<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a step toward sustainable agriculture and forest conservation, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with the GIZ project SAFE, has officially launched a new initiative to promote coffee production without deforestation in the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve, DR Congo. The project is part of a broader effort to align local agricultural practices […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29460,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-category":[989,990,976,429],"class_list":["post-29115","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-category-cifor-icraf","news-category-coffee","news-category-eudr","news-category-safe-drc"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38261,"href":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29115\/revisions\/38261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zerodeforestationhub.eu\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-category?post=29115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}