The importance of the
coffee that is cultivated by agroecological methods, more than the
volume of sales, pertains to the producers’ efforts in acquiring
knowledge on agricultural techniques that, besides providing less
harmful alternatives in handling the environment, also contributes
to the organizing of agriculturists in cooperatives, assuring their
access to the market.
Coffe
plantation with beans planted between the lines
Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that
the commercialization of organic products are not economically
attractive. Most of the "organic coffee" produced in
Brazil is exported to the United States, Germany, France and Japan.
Once the production follows the norms established by the certifying
authorities, the coffee attains a price from 15% to 50% higher than
the conventional product (Agrofolha, 07/06/1998).
Green
manure with coffe;
the woods behind protect the
plants from the wind
As far as technical peculiarities are
concerned, we point out the integration of cattle breeding as a
complementary activity to coffee growing, inasmuch as the totality
of manure production is used as fertilizer in the culture of coffee.
Weed control and the planting of vegetable manure in-between the
coffee lines, as well as other alimentary cultures, are widely used
strategies for the improvement of soil conditions and for the
diversification of cultures, which avoid monoculture and the
ecological unbalances it entails.
As to the drink made
from the organic product, the consumer will have the pleasure
of tasting the purest, most genuine and more ecological
Brazilian "cafezinho".
