More soil collection is underway on IOC farms in the Yoro region of Honduras!
Carried out by youth conservationists, this fieldwork is critical to accurately quantifying the carbon-sequestering capabilities of the soil on Yoro Model lands.
Yoro Biological Corridor researchers are about two-thirds of the way done taking samples now, and expect have the soil data by this fall. (The first samples were taken back in October-November of 2022).
The Yoro Biological Corridor (YBC) was represented at the annual, global “All-Partner Meeting” of the Sustainable Coffee Challenge (SCC); A two-day event that took place March 7-8 in Tampa, Florida.
Proponents of the YBC, Mesoamerican Development Institute (MDI), were in attendance along with delegates from some of the largest coffee companies in the world, including Nestlé, Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee, Starbucks, Keurig Dr Pepper, Lavazza and Starbucks. The overall objective of the meeting was bring coffee industry leaders together in one place to address sustainability issues within the industry, including coffee’s carbon footprint and upcoming EU deforestation laws.
As this year’s coffee harvest gets plucked from the trees, Integrated Open Canopy™ test farms are busily being studied!
A defect analysis is underway here, providing quantitative data of natural pest control (i.e. ecosystem services).
This puts a scientifically proven price on how well birds combat the coffee borer beetle, so that farmers can get adequately paid for having organic pest control on their farms.
There’s more than just sustainable coffee in the Yoro Biological Corridor … These are the very first soil samples collected from Integrated Open Canopy™ (IOC) coffee farms!
These samples are arriving at a local lab, so that scientists can accurately quantify the carbon-sequestering capabilities of IOC coffee farms, (which are half coffee farm, half restored forest).
A very productive meeting today between the Mayor of Yoro, Martha Puentes, and the Yoro Biological Corridor team (above).
In addition to a National Park Co-Managers meeting (below).
These meetings are part of the on-the-ground work to coordinate development of the right model for the region, which is plagued by immediate deforestation and water scarcity problems. This developing ‘Yoro Model’ leads to a fully protected forest corridor that also serves local communities.
TORONTO, CANADA – Dr. Jane Goodall, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace, offers to join the Yoro Biological Corridor (YBC) Advisory Board “Comite de Gestion” in a public letter to the newly elected president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro.
With this public letter of support Dr. Jane Goodall has expressed her interest in Cafe Solar® and the Yoro Biological Corridor Initiative. The goal is to encourage the implementation of a progressive forestry law that will protect Honduran national parks and watersheds, restore forest on private lands, and integrate sustainable economic development.
Dr. Jane Goodall has direct experience in coffee and connecting forest parks in Gombe, Africa through her Jane Goodall Institute, and agreed to serve as an advisor to the Yoro Biological Corridor board on May 1, 2022.
“There is no better person to become part of the oversight team, and at such a key time with the first female president of Honduras making important changes for the country right now,” says Derek Zavislake from Merchants of Green Coffee and YBC co-developer.
The Yoro Biological Corridor initiative involves many partners, all of whom are ecstatic about the news: “Adding her global weight is incredibly encouraging to everyone and we are hoping to accelerate the process in enacting the corridor through Honduras’ progressive forestry law, which has yet to be used for this purpose,” says Raul Raudales from Mesoamerican Development Institute (MDI) and YBC developer.
“Forests are critical and require people for protection …” writes Dr. Jane Goodall in her letter of support, “… Honduras’ progressive forest law is a great example of leadership for the region as a whole.”
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Background:
Yoro Model: Model of producing coffee designed to restore and conserve forest on private lands (coffee farms) currently being demonstrated and refined in Yoro, Honduras. The model involves the combination of Integrated Open Canopy™ (IOC™) and the proposed scale-up Off-Grid Carbon-Neutral coffee processing in support of forest protection and restoration at a landscape level throughout the coffee regions of the Yoro Biological Corridor.
More information:
www.yorobiologicalcorridor.org
www.merchantsofgreencoffee.com
www.mesoamerican.org
Contact:
Meagan Thibeault
Communications Director, Merchants of Green Coffee
press@merchantsofgreencoffee.com
Quotes available on request from Merchants of Green Coffee, and partners listed.
Meet Ana Quiñonez and Fabiola Rodríguez! These two Honduran researchers are currently working on their doctoral degrees, studying the impacts of Integrated Open Canopy™ coffee farming on cloud forest conservation.
Ana is new to the Yoro Biological Corridor (YBC) team this year and Fabiola has been conducting studies with YBC for a multiple years. Learn more about IOC™ coffee farming by listening to Fabiola’s podcast.
Yoro Biological Corridor (YBC) recently received National Science Foundation (NSF) recognition & support!
As part of their ‘Growing ‘Convergence Research Project’, NSF is funding a coalition that will model the impact of Cafe Solar® clean technology & forest-restoring coffee cultivation, on watersheds, forest, and people. The $3.4 million project includes Tulane University; the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; University of North Carolina; and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.