Coffee sector overcomes barrier via regenerative agriculture

At the recent seminar titled "Regenerative Agriculture - A Sustainable Path for Vietnamese Agriculture," Mr. Wouter Melis Van Ravenhorst, Director of Control Union Viet Nam, noted that despite being a global agricultural powerhouse, the country faces tightening "green barriers" from major import markets.

In this landscape, regenerative agriculture has emerged as a vital solution, strengthening the competitive edge of Vietnamese coffee while driving higher economic value for farmers.

Unlocking multi-dimensional value

According to Mr. Wouter, regenerative agriculture has evolved from a voluntary trend into an absolute necessity within modern global agricultural supply chains. This model works twin miracles: restoring vulnerable ecosystems and curbing greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously elevating commodity values.

Echoing this view, Mr. Nguyen Van Thiet, Office Manager at the Rainforest Alliance in Viet Nam, emphasized that this is the ideal moment for the Vietnamese coffee industry to pivot to meet escalating market demand. A regenerative farm does more than deliver green products, it restores biodiversity and creates a more harmonious relationship between humans and nature.

"Soil is not just a tool for production; it must be treated as a true partner. This mindset shifts farmers from merely exploiting the land to investing in it, making the soil healthier and more fertile for generations to come," Mr. Thiet shared.

Within the seminar's framework, Mr. Pham Phu Ngoc, Head of Nestlé Viet Nam's Central Highlands Branch and Director of the Agricultural Development Program, highlighted the milestones of the NESCAFÉ Plan in Viet Nam. Within the domestic coffee sector, Nestlé Viet Nam stands as a pioneer in financing and supporting farmers to transition toward sustainable cultivation workflows.

Launched in 2011, the NESCAFÉ Plan has driven the shift from traditional coffee farming to a regenerative agricultural framework, yielding rich environmental and biodiverse improvements while uplifting household economics and fueling social development.

Mr. Ngoc pointed out that the ultimate obstacle is not the technology itself, but translating complex scientific theories into simple, practical guidelines that farmers can easily execute.

To facilitate this adoption, the core principles of regenerative agriculture have been streamlined into three core pillars: soil, water, and biodiversity.

Regarding land, farmers are guided to maintain vegetation cover, utilize agricultural by-products to produce organic fertilizer, and apply balanced fertilization. As a result, the use of chemical fertilizers can be reduced by 20-40%, improving soil quality and lowering production costs. Irrigation water use is also reduced by 40-60% to meet plant needs, conserving water resources and significantly reducing electricity and fuel costs for pump operation.

Biodiversity criteria are implemented through intercropping and agroforestry models. Instead of just cultivating coffee, people can plant pepper or fruit trees to provide shade, improve the ecosystem, and diversify income sources.

Maximizing farmers' livelihoods

According to Mr. Ngoc, the success of regenerative agriculture is measured not just by environmental indicators, but by the tangible financial returns deposited into farmers' pockets.

Data compiled by the program show that participating farmers can boost their incomes by 30% to 150% compared to traditional coffee monoculture, thanks to reduced input costs and multi-stream earnings from strategic intercropping. Over its 15-year journey, the NESCAFÉ Plan has empowered more than 23,000 farming households, driving measurable progress in yields, earnings, and technology adoption.

A prime example is the 2-hectare estate of Ms. Mai Thi Nhung in Dak Lak, where coffee is intercropped with black pepper and durian. By executing regenerative farming practices alongside data-driven household economic management applications, her family secures a net profit of over 1,2 billion VND per harvest season.

At the seminar, Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Huong, Senior Project Officer at GIZ, emphasized that the defining trait of regenerative agriculture is its intrinsic ability to rehabilitate natural resources.

Under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's "Scheme for Low-Emission Production in the Cultivation Sector (2025-2035, with a Vision to 2050)," coffee has been designated as a key sector with significant potential for greenhouse gas reduction, alongside rice, sugarcane, cassava, and bananas.

Ms. Huong concluded that embracing regenerative agriculture not only helps the coffee industry align seamlessly with new global regulations, such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), but also opens up vast opportunities to enter future carbon credit markets. This will unlock a supplementary revenue stream for producers, enabling Vietnamese coffee to solidify its premium status on the global sustainable agricultural map.