Biodynamic Brazil
Henrique Leivas Sloper de Araujo describes biodynamic coffee production.
Biodynamic agricultural methods are not popular among producers in Brazil.
According to the Brazilian Biodynamic Association, out of 5.2 million farms, there are 27 certified producers, 20 processors, and 5 farms in a transitional state. Only six of these farms grow coffee. There are three in Bahia; the Fazenda Camocim farm in Espirito Santo, two in São Paulo, and one in Paraná.
Certificado Orgânico (IBD) executive director Alexandre Harkaly explains that biodynamic coffee doesn’t have the same high productivity rates as traditionally grown crops.
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“On the other hand, its quality has international recognition and the market is paying more for these coffees,” he said. With better prices, producers have begun studying possibilities it presents. They see switching to biodynamic as an investment, he said. Biodynamic growers like to say: “I am not farming coffee, I am farming soil, and I just happen to plant coffee in that soil.”
It takes two to three years to convert from conventional to biodynamic farming. If the producer is already organic, the process can be reduced to a year. Specialists and agronomist can help on a daily basis at the farm. IBD’s role, as a certification institution, is to audit the property annually and check if the producer respects all the requirements for organic certification.
“Considering the audition days, diagnosis, the certificate and commercial transactions permission, the whole process can cost R$ 3,000 ($ 920) per year,” Harkaly said.
- Kelly Stein