Brief (coffeeyo.com): In Baben Village, Wangmo County, 3,000 coffee seedlings are being transplanted under a “chestnut + coffee” under-forest intercropping model that puts idle woodland to use, cuts shading costs and lifts the quality and efficiency of mountain farming.
Right now, in Baben Village, Pingdong Subdistrict, Wangmo County, the transplanting of 3,000 coffee seedlings is progressing in an orderly manner. Relying on its abundant chestnut-forest resources, the locality is promoting a “chestnut + coffee” under-forest intercropping model, putting idle forest land to good use and raising the quality and efficiency of mountain agriculture.
At the Baben Village science-commissioner innovation and entrepreneurship service demonstration base, farmers are busy pruning, hauling and planting coffee, while agricultural technicians come into the fields to patiently coach them in scientific cultivation.
Ou Zhengui, a researcher at the Guizhou Subtropical Crops Research Institute, explained: “The sun is too strong right now. If you don’t trim back some leaves when transplanting, the plant can’t keep up with its water needs and the leaves will soon wilt.”
The chestnut-forest underplanting of coffee in Baben Village is a provincial-level science-commissioner innovation project, backed by 120,000 yuan and a plan to build a 20-mu core demonstration zone for under-forest coffee intercropping. By screening suitable varieties, it prioritizes coffee such as Sachimor 402, Typica and Geisha for interplanting—these varieties have a short growth cycle and quick payoff, bearing fruit and entering production just two years after planting, with stable yields and lasting returns.
“The science commissioners brought five coffee varieties for trial planting; the 20 mu of chestnut forest can be interplanted and finished in about three days,” said Yang Guangqiang, head of the base.
Coffee is a semi-shade crop, and the expanse of chestnut forest happens to provide it with an ideal diffused-light environment, saving the cost of installing shade nets. At the same time, the coffee tree’s root system helps conserve soil and water and nourishes the growth of the trees, achieving “double harvest from one plot, combining short- and long-term gains” and forming a virtuous ecological cycle.
According to Ou Zhengui, prior research and demonstration have shown that Wangmo’s natural conditions are highly suitable for coffee cultivation. Coffee needs moderate shading as it grows, which aligns closely with the under-forest economy that Guizhou Province is currently promoting. The locality can focus on spreading forest-coffee and fruit-coffee intercropping models, which both ease pressure on land resources and raise comprehensive economic returns, carrying great significance for advancing local specialty industries.
It is understood that, following the approach of “trials first, demonstration to drive,” the Guizhou Subtropical Crops Research Institute introduced 66 superior coffee varieties for comparative trials in Wangmo, tackling technical challenges in variety screening, seedling raising and planting, canopy management, water-fertilizer care and pest-disease control. It continuously observes seedling growth and screens coffee varieties suited to the local mountain climate, steadily enriching the rural industrial mix and broadening villagers’ income channels.
“Through point-to-area demonstration we let farmers genuinely reap the benefits. Wangmo has now developed 272,000 mu of chestnuts and 106,900 mu of mangoes. Relying on the existing fruit-tree planting base, there is no need to requisition extra land; developing the coffee industry while safeguarding farmers’ existing interests can effectively drive Wangmo’s agricultural upgrading and local economic growth,” said Ou Zhengui.
Source: Dongjing News (Baidu) — official account of Guizhou Radio & TV Station. Reporter: Huang Guangyao (Wangmo Media). Editors: Wang Dan, Yang Yuan (intern). Secondary reviewer: Peng Yuanqing. Tertiary reviewer: Wang Jun.
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