Crops we work with
Coffea arabica
Bringing two decades of Dynamic Agroforestry to coffee — higher, more stable yields, climate resilience and better cup quality, with no external inputs.
ECOTOP has pioneered Dynamic Agroforestry (DAF) for two decades, and coffee has been part of that work from the start. Instead of full-sun monocultures or unmanaged shade, we build living, actively managed systems where coffee grows alongside biomass, fruit and timber trees.
Fast-growing species such as Inga and Erythrina spp. are coppiced each year to feed the soil, while diverse canopies suppress pests and disease and stabilise yields — without any external inputs. The result is coffee that is more productive, more resilient and better for the landscape.
From a first assessment to self-sustaining systems your own teams can run — a proven, hands-on path, adapted to coffee.
We assess your soils, shade structure, climate and disease pressure, and run an introductory workshop on Dynamic Agroforestry for farmers and field staff.
Together we design a shade, pruning and planting plan — species, density and timing — matched to your zone, coffee variety and quality goals.
Recurring missions coach teams in good agricultural practice: adaptive shade management, pruning before flowering, coppicing, soil cover and renovation.
We help build local pruning and arborist service teams and scale proven practices farmer-to-farmer through lead farmers and field officers.
The single biggest lever in coffee agroforestry is shade management. Inga shade trees live 20 to 25 years and are rarely pruned, so shade becomes excessive and the coffee beneath it declines.
Targeted pruning just before the main flowering can lift coffee yields by more than 60% while cutting disease pressure. In Palos Blancos, Bolivia, managed shade and pruning roughly doubled yields — and coffee leaf rust and ojo de gallo fell from epidemic levels to a manageable part of the system.
Balanced shade and timely pruning lift production and even it out from one year to the next.
A diverse, layered canopy buffers coffee against heat, drought and rainfall extremes.
Managed shade supports quality and rich habitat — SysCom DAF coffee scores 80 to 82 points even at 300 m.
DAF runs on its own biomass — lower input costs and healthier, self-sustaining soils.
Since 2022 — DAF demonstration plots, farmer training and agroforestry service teams across Central America and East Africa.
Coffee is already integrated into FiBL’s long-term SysCom trials. Building on that, we want to do more dedicated coffee research — quantifying how adaptive shade-tree pruning drives yield, cup quality and carbon. Proposed for Bolivia, Peru and Honduras, and currently seeking partners.
Dynamic Agroforestry coffee reaching best-practice yields of 2,208 kg/ha parchment.
Research · 10 min
A long-term Bolivia trial shows agroforestry can match full-sun yields with far greater resilience.
Article · 6 min
Why diverse, managed systems out-yield single-crop maximization.
Article · 6 min
How DAF stores carbon and rebuilds forest — the science that underpins our coffee work.
ECOTOP has worked in coffee agroforestry for two decades — and we are ready to do more with the right partners. Whether you’re a roaster, trader, certifier or investor, let’s talk about bringing Dynamic Agroforestry to your coffee origins.
Talk to our team
