In the spirit of enhancing smallholder farmers’ capacities and transforming food systems, IIRR conducted an orientation and training on coffee nursery management on January 19 at Brookside Hills Leisure Farm, Brgy. Kaymisas, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Cavite. Undertaken through the IIRR-ClimBeR project, the activity included 19 farmers and partners from Bailen Coffee Growers Association, Cavite State University, and the Municipal Agriculture Office.
Agricultural technician Joey Quibael Jr. welcomed the participants while Alyanna Joy A. Quiñones of IIRR shared key objectives of the IIRR-ClimBeR project, stating that the project aims to “generate further evidence on how small farms contribute to more sustainable and resilient food systems.”
Mr. Rodrigo H. Diloy, Education Specialist from the Cavite State University-National Coffee Research, Development, and Extension Center (CvSU-NCRDEC), led the training on coffee nursery management by discussing the importance of nursery establishment, various nursery classifications, nursery site selection, methods of propagation, and seedbed construction.
During the discussion, participants learned that the bed should be well-drained, mixed with soil and organic matter, and raised to ensure good drainage and to create a microclimate for the seedlings. Moreover, they learned of the possible challenges that nurseries can face, such as pests, diseases, and environmental conditions; thus, proper management and prevention of these issues were highlighted to ensure the nursery’s success.
Moving forward, identified farmer-members of the Bailen Coffee Growers Association who attended the training were tapped to establish individually-managed coffee nurseries of Liberica and Excelsa varieties in Barangay Narvaez and Barangay Dalusag of General Emilio Aguinaldo (Bailen), Cavite under the IIRR-ClimBeR project. This supports the project’s focus on anticipatory climate adaptation as the two coffee varieties are considered climate-hardy given their wider canopy and root system.
