April 10, 2024
Agriculture is one of the main pillars of Peru’s national economy. However, this sector is currently facing significant hurdles that have been exacerbated by climate change and the El Niño. Erratic rainfall patterns have resulted in the spread of native insects, fungi, and pests, posing severe challenges to the cultivation of key crops like coffee and cocoa. These climatic fluctuations can result in compromised soil quality and can also adversely impact crop yields, directly impacting livelihoods of the farming communities. WIPO GREEN is supporting farmers respond to these challenges by facilitating connect with green technologies providers.
Supported by Funds-In-Trust Japan IP Global, the WIPO GREEN Latin American Acceleration Program in Peru, in partnership with Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual (INDECOPI; also known as the National Institute for Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property) and in collaboration with BioActiva, a local consulting firm, aims to enhance the resilience of Peru’s agribusinesses against the impacts of climate change. This initiative has led to two success stories within the first year of the project taking off.
Fundo Cristina is a cocoa farm in the province of Puerto Inca, Huánuco. Established by David H., the farm stretches across 12 hectares, specializing in cultivating various cocoa varieties and producing the exquisite Pachinkao chocolates. It is home to approximately 1200 rainfed cocoa plants per hectare.
David increasingly experienced the damaging impacts of climate change and the El Niño phenomenon on his cocoa crops. He noted that the farm faced severe challenges due to unpredictable rainfall, resulting in periods of intense downpour causing waterlogging and soil erosion, and times of drought leading to moisture loss and soil cracking. This erratic weather pattern disrupted the ordinary harvest schedule. “Traditionally, harvests occurred bi-weekly throughout the year. However, recent years have seen a significant deviation, with harvests being limited to just twice by September”, David says.
Recognizing the need for a solution, the BioActiva team searched for suitable technologies to aid the cocoa farm. Their search led them to several hydrogel producers. Hydrogel is a superabsorbent polymer which is designed to increase the soil water holding capacity and drainage. Hydrogels absorb water when available and slowly release it during dry periods. It can save up to 85% of water requirements, thereby reducing the need for irrigation.
Through a series of meetings, the farm’s requirements were meticulously discussed. Ultimately, Fundo Cristina chose a local supplier, Plantagel, due to their holistic service offering, which included technical support during the pilot project as well as documentation tools to record and measure the project’s progress. This partnership was formalized in mid-September 2023, marking the beginning of a two-months trial where hydrogel would be applied to a 180 meter2 area to enhance soil hydration for 20 cocoa trees.
Meanwhile, nestled on the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes, the district of Santa Teresa, La Convención, in Cusco, faces another set of challenges. Since transitioning to organic coffee cultivation in 2016, Nogalpata, a three-hectare coffee farm managed by Sara Gamarra Palomino and Ronildo Sánchez Pérez, faced a growing number of pests and diseases like yellow rust, borers, and fruit flies.
WIPO GREEN’s on-ground consultants connected with Ciclos Café, a cafe known for its support of organic coffee farmers. This led to a meeting between Felipe Aliga from Ciclos Café and Sara, where Sara explained how fruit flies from nearby fruit farms were now infesting her coffee crops. Following discussions with potential technology providers, Bayer’s GF-120 was identified as a potential solution. GF-120 is an organic insecticide produced by Saccaropolyspora spinosa, a soil bacteria. It includes spinosad, which is an active ingredient, as well as a protein bait to attract the target pests. The insecticide is highly selective and is certified for use in organic agriculture.
To Sara, this product stood out for its cost-effectiveness and ease of application with backpack-type sprayers (already owned by the farm), which fit the requirements for Nogalpata. The choice was strategic, as other potential solutions required the use of specialized equipment and technical personnel beyond the farm’s immediate resources.
Initially, Sara opted to purchase this product for her three-hectare farm. When it became evident that numerous farmers in the region were grappling with similar issues, Sara shared her journey of discovering a potentially viable solution through WIPO GREEN with the coffee grower cooperative she is member of, which includes over 300 members, each overseeing farms of up to nine hectares. This sequence of actions underscores the initiative’s success in not only raising awareness about an environmental issue affecting a wide swath of the agricultural sector but also in mobilizing local stakeholders towards actionable solutions.
BioActiva’s team has informed the National Agricultural Health Service (SENASA) about this potential emergent pest. In turn, SENASA has offered to facilitate access to local entomology labs to validate the pest identification and report. They also offered to facilitate discussion with the Regional Government of Cusco, which is in charge of deploying preventive pest control actions in the locality.
Addressing climate change challenges in agriculture is complex as illustrated by the experiences in Fundo Cristina and Nogalpata. Adaptive strategies employed by these farms, from the use of hydrogels and organic insecticides, reflect a necessity for flexibility and innovation in the face of new environmental uncertainties. The transition of Sara’s individual challenge to a collective concern among the cooperative also highlights the need for scalable solutions that can be adapted to diverse conditions. This progression to communal action demonstrates the vigorous process of finding responses to the impacts of climate change on agriculture.
Fundo Cristina’s pilot project with hydrogel technology has been deployed. The tangible advancement in soil moisture retention will be measured and reported in coming months. This deployment, supported by WIPO GREEN and its partners, showcases the potential of collaborative efforts in bringing about meaningful environmental solutions. Looking forward, the experiences in Fundo Cristina and Nogalpata remind us of the importance of being prepared to adapt our solutions as challenges evolve.