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NEW LAKKHAO FARM UPDATES

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FROM THIS POORLY MANAGED 36 HA MONOCULTURE COFFEE PLANTATION …

THE COFFEE YOU ARE DRINKING IS REGENERATING FOREST AND BIODIVERSITY IN LAOS

Through a new partnership with the coffee company Slow, Maersk has embarked on a journey, where Slow has acquired a 36 hectares coffee plantation in Laos to supply Maersk with coffee.

The exciting part is that Slow will convert this plantation from a conventionally grown monoculture with a few sporadic small trees into a thriving and diverse agroforest with up to 450 trees per hectare. The long term result of you drinking Slow coffee is a reversal of the loss of nature in this coffee plantation.

… TO SOMETHING LIKE MR. JON’S THRIVING COFFEE FOREST

AGROFORESTRY EXPLAINED

An agroforest is a planted or natural forest with agriculture embedded. A coffee agroforest is one in which coffee plants are grown.

By planting trees and bushes alongside existing coffee plants, the planted forest will, over time, closely mimic a natural forest that will attract and host a variety of insects and wildlife. This environment is far more generative than the existing coffee monocultures and excellent for producing quality coffee, as it resembles the original conditions under which coffee naturally grew.

In the 36-hectare plantation that Slow is converting to an agroforest for Maersk, we will plant up to 450 trees per hectare, of 20 different varietals, mainly native, ten of which will be fruit trees, serving to attract birds and insects further.

In 10 years, Slow aims to get this farm certified Bird-Friendly by the Smithsonian Institute, the highest possible certification for biodiversity and preservation.

“Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal. Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority of everyone, everywhere.“

UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres, December 2020

NATURE-POSITIVE EXPLAINED

Slow is in the business of nature-positive coffee. The term refers to halting and reversing the loss of nature by 2030, a Global Goal for Nature laid out by prominent scientists and leaders like Johan Rockström, Paul Polman and Peter Bakker.

In practice, it means that Slow works towards:

• Capturing more carbon in our coffee forests than is emitted in the rest of our production. This carbon capture occurs naturally in agroforests without buying carbon credits or offsets.
• Bringing back more biodiversity in our coffee forests by growing and preserving native plants and trees that work to attract and host insects and wildlife.
• Ensuring that local ecosystems are cleaner and healthier through natural processing and no harmful practices.
• Helping more people out of poverty by paying them a living income that is sustainable, fair and equitable. We also support and work closely with local towns to ensure thriving communities.