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For years, coffee farming followed tradition—seedlings came from professional nurseries, were planted in neatly spaced rows, and grew under predictable conditions. But climate change started altering everything, forcing farmers like me to rethink how we grow coffee.
At 1,200 meters elevation, my farm was already on the threshold for Arabica cultivation. Rising temperatures introduced coffee leaf rust, a disease that spreads aggressively in warmer conditions. If I didn’t find a solution, my coffee trees wouldn’t survive.
One option was to move to higher elevations, but the logistical challenges made that unrealistic. The better alternative? Find a coffee variety that could withstand heat and disease while maintaining high quality.
After months of research, I discovered a new Arabica variety that offered:
✅ Resilience to climate stress
✅ Superior cup profile with balanced acidity and aroma
✅ Adaptability to mid-altitude farms
However, there was no professional nursery in my region specializing in this variety. If I wanted to grow it, I had to germinate my own seedlings, something I had never done before.
Growing coffee from seed isn’t like planting vegetables—it’s slow, delicate, and incredibly precise. Instead of simply sowing seeds into the soil, I had to carefully design a growing medium that would support fragile roots while ensuring easy transplantation later.
🔹 My nursery soil mix: 1 part soil, 1 part sand, 1 part manure
✔ Soil for water retention
✔ Sand for aeration & easy transplanting
✔ Manure for nutrition
Since my farm was entering the dry season, I had to plant in sand to prevent root rot—but this presented a new challenge. Sand drains too quickly, forcing me to water every day and cover the nursery with tarps to minimize evaporation.
For two months, nothing happened.
🌱 No visible growth.
🌦 Daily watering with no results.
🤔 Local farmers said, "Just keep waiting. It's slow."
I had never seen a plant germinate this slowly, but they were right—Arabica requires patience. Finally, tiny green sprouts emerged, proving that persistence pays off.
Once the seedlings developed their first two leaves, they needed to be moved into separate nursery bags to support stronger root formation. The initial grouped planting was only meant to save space and simplify care—but once the trees began developing, they had to be separated for proper growth.
Separating seedlings ensures:
✔ Stronger root systems for better survival rates
✔ Easier individual care during early growth phases
✔ More efficient transplanting into the final growing location
Vietnam’s standard coffee planting distance is 1 meter per tree, but my farm wasn’t a blank slate—it already had Robusta and other crops growing. Adjusting spacing was essential, ensuring that the new Arabica variety could thrive without competing for resources.
From this point, the trees became part of my farm’s larger ecosystem, forming a sustainable coffee landscape.
Now that the seedlings were successfully transplanted, the next challenge was ensuring they continued to thrive. Managing growth required:
🌦 Strategic watering cycles to combat unpredictable climate patterns
🍂 Pruning techniques to maximize production and prevent disease
🌿 Soil enrichment with organic fertilizers for long-term sustainability
With climate change affecting traditional farming methods, long-term adaptation was crucial.
Miwa, a Japanese intern, joins me at HuyEco Farm to plant Arabica coffee seedlings—an experience blending sustainability, knowledge exchange, and dedication to quality coffee
In a world where agriculture is increasingly affected by climate change, growing coffee is no longer just about planting—it’s about adaptation.
This new Arabica variety's slow germination process taught me that great coffee requires patience, and that flavor is cultivated over time. If climate challenges continue, the future of coffee will depend on farmers experimenting, researching, and innovating.
🚀 What are your thoughts on adapting coffee farming to climate change? Have you experienced challenges in agriculture? Let’s discuss in the comments!
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