This document summarizes a study on coffee agroforestry systems in mountainous areas of Vietnam. The study examined 124 farmers from different ethnic groups and found they have significant knowledge of using trees with coffee to provide benefits like stable soils, increased productivity, and diversified livelihoods. Common agroforestry practices integrate coffee with fruit trees, legume trees, and timber trees. Species richness is higher in coffee agroforestry systems than without. Farmers indicated trees provide various ecosystem services to coffee like soil erosion control and soil fertility improvement. Based on the results, the researchers created an online tool to help farmers select appropriate tree species.

1. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Local tree knowledge on coffee agroforestry
systems in mountainous areas of Vietnam
Nguyen Mai Phuong – ICRAF Vietnam
Philippe Vaast – ICRAF/CIRAD

2. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Background
• Coffee (Arabica and Robusta) is the second most important exported cash crops of Vietnam
• Arabica with higher price accounts for only 4% of exported amount
• Arabica is mainly cultivated in North West (16,000 ha) and North central coast of Vietnam
• In North West, coffee is the main substitute for maize and cassava on sloping land from
600 m to 1000 m when maize price decreased.
Problem
Context
Solutions
Stable soils – Increased productivity – Livelihood
diversification – Stabilized income
• Full sun monoculture coffee is not long-term economic sustainable
• Enhanced soil degradation, particularly soil erosion in mountainous areas of this region
• Low biodiversity
• Increasing usage herbicide due to lack of shade
• Integrating trees in coffee systems

3. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Study site
124 farmers in Son La and Dien Bien
Ethnicity
- Kinh: 25
- Thai: 83
- H’mong: 16
Gender
- Male: 68
- Female: 56

4. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Common practices of agroforestry coffee system
• Coffee – Fruit trees
Coffee – Avocado in Muoi Noi commune, Thuan Chau
district, Son La province. Avocado is planted at 7 m x
7 m spacing in 2012
Simple Coffee –Fruit trees
Coffee – Longan- Mango – Plum in Chieng Mai
commune, Mai Son district, Son La province. Fruit
trees are scattered in coffee garden.
Complex Coffee – Fruit trees

5. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
• Coffee – Legume trees
Coffee – Leucaena leucocephala in Ang Nua commune,
Muong Ang district, Dien Bien province. Leucaena is
planted at 5 m x 5 m in the beginning and thinned after
several years up to 12 m x 12 m
• Coffee – Timber trees
Coffee - Melia – Native timber trees in Ang Cang
commune, Muong Ang district, Dien Bien province. Melia
is planted along plot boundary as border marker.
Common practices of agroforestry coffee system

6. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Species richness between coffee agroforestry
systems and non-coffee systems

7. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Species richness in coffee agroforestry systems
among three ethnic groups

8. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Tree presence on coffee agroforestry plots by
proximity to road
0 20 40 60 80 100
Far
Medium
Near-by
Percentage
Commercial fruit Commercial timber Native timber
Family consumption Industrial crop Shade tree

9. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Farmer’s perspective on tree benefits to coffee
Coffee production Soil moisture Soil fertility Soil erosion Use of fertilizer
Biodiversity Climate regulation Wind control Frost control Shade provision Mulch provision
Fruit production Wood production Weed control Soil moisture interaction Light interaction
Pest bio-control Medicine Rodents Coffee life expectancy

10. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Farmer’s ranking of tree species in coffee
agroforestry systems for different services
Example of result of tree ranking module in R for soil erosion
• Coffee production
• Soil moisture
• Soil fertility
• Biodiversity
• Soil erosion
• Climate regulation
• Wind control
• Frost control
• Use of fertilizer
• Shade provision
• Mulch provision

11. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Online tree advice tool
http://www.shadetreeadvice.org/

12. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Conclusion
• Farmers have deep knowledge of the benefits of trees to coffee in coffee
agroforestry systems
• Farmers still have limited experience/knowledge on impact of shade trees
to coffee quality and coffee yield.
• The selection of tree species in coffee agroforestry systems is influenced by
proximity of farms to road/market. Farmers living near main road tend to
plant more commercial fruit trees while farmers living far away from main
road plant more timber trees.
• No significant findings between gender and ethnicity
• This study and the tool (shadetreeadvice.org) help local extension
institutions and farmers in the selection of the right tree species according
to the local context together with households’ needs and constraints
towards more sustainable and climate-smart coffee systems

13. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
World Agroforestry (ICRAF),
United Nations Avenue, Gigiri,
P.O Box 30677-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Phone: +254 20 722 4000
Fax: +254 20 722 4001
Email: icraf@cigar.org
Website: www.worldagroforestry.org
Thank you!
Nguyen Mai Phuong (n.maiphuong@cgiar.org)