Farmers’ knowledge and skills in environmentally-friendly production, waste management, and coffee processing is critical for sustainable coffee in Indonesia, both for the domestic industry as well as for exports. To improve their knowledge and skills, the TPSA Project sent 20 coffee farmers from the Gayo region (Central Aceh and Bener Meuriah Districts) and South Sulawesi (Toraja, North Toraja Enrekang, and Majene Districts) to the Indonesian Coffee and Cacao Research Centre Institute or Pusat Penelitian Kopi dan Kakao (PUSLITKOKA) in Jember, East Java. The farmers represent TPSA-assisted SMEs/ cooperatives. It was guided and facilitated by coffee experts from PUSLITKOKA.

Participants received in-class training on organic coffee cultivation techniques, waste management, pest and disease management, and post-harvest processing. Climate change impacts on coffee were also addressed. Participants also did a field practicum at PUSLITKOKA’s coffee plantation and processing facilities. They also visited an Arabica coffee plantation owned by PUSLITKOKA-assisted farmers in Bondowoso District, East Java to observe first-hand how organic farming can produce good quality yields.

Farmer participants were eager to practice their newly acquired knowledge and skills and shared them with their peers at home. To further understand how the study tour benefited farmers and the environment, TPSA intends to conduct further field monitoring.