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What exactly is shade grown coffee?

 This is one of the many terms in the industry that the definition of it depends on who you ask. Please refer to the terminology link to get various different opinions on the coffee industry's terminology, including shade coffee.

We at Selva Negra do not intend to give you yet another definition, we will simply provide you with some pictures of what our estate looks like, and you can see for yourself, by the diversity of trees within the plantation that we are a coffee estate that provides shade to the coffee plants. Also, let's look at some of the parts of the definitios that you will find in the terminology link and we'll try to show you how we fit into those definitions.

  

 

The Shade Gradient

One principal found in these definitions is the concept of shade gradient, basically what kind and density of trees are shading the coffee plants.This shade gradient is divided into 5 levels of shade:

Rustic:The least intensified (and increasingly rare) practice; coffee shrubs are planted in the existing forest with little alteration of native vegetation; also the least expensive practice, typically used by small family-owned farms that produce a modest crop of coffee.

Traditional polyculture: more managed than rustic coffee, involving deliberate integration of beneficial plants (fruits, vegetables, nuts, medicinal plants, etc.), and resulting in greater species diversity than commercial polyculture (below); the crop diversification helps farmers in years when coffee prices are depressed; in many traditional indigenous systems there is no distinction between wild and domesticated plants and some plants are weeded, tolerated, or encouraged depending on household needs and the season.

Commercial Polyculture: similar to traditional polyculture, but some shade is removed to make room for more coffee shrubs; yields are higher, but some agrochemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) are usually needed; generally planted with a distinct backbone species, but more diverse than specialized shade (below).

Reduced or Specialized shade: uses a single, pruned canopy species to provide shade, typically from the genera Inga, Erythrina, Gliricidia, or Grevillea; coffee shrubs are planted more densely, and the farm has a manicured look; since the overstory consists of one or two species, its vertical structural diversity is reduced.

Full-sun or Unshaded monoculture: does away with the canopy completely; the unshaded intensively-managed fields are highly productive if given the requisite agrochemical inputs; farms such as these have one objective: producing coffee for market.

Where does Selva Negra fit into the shade gradient?

Within these categories of shade, Selva Negra's shade falls between the rustic and the traditional polyculture. All trees within the plantation are indigenous to the region and many of these are centennial trees that have grown to such heights that provide a gradient of shade from very high to the lower and more manageable shade of the younger trees that is prunned during the off-season. The shade is managed to a point, by pruning of certain trees to provide the optimal percentage of shade for the coffee trees.

We also integrate within the plantation certain fruit trees. These are not numerous since they are not used for the sale of the crop, but for the benefit of the workers during the harvest season, providing for a heathly and refreshing snack in the middle of the workday.
 

Beyond the shade gradient

Building on the concept of a gradient, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center uses the following criteria to select coffee to be labeled "Bird-Friendly":

    1. recommended minimum of 10 species of shade trees, no more than 70 percent of Inga
    2. minimum shade cover of 40 percent at noon
    3. minimum height of 10 meters for backbone trees; some shorter and smaller plants mixed in
    4. limit pruning of shade trees and removal of epiphytes whenever possible
    5. maintain road and stream buffers
Where does Selva Negra fit into the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center's building concept beyond the shade gradient?

Selva Negra is not "Bird-Friendly" certified, we have not requested this certification, we are only using the standards of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center to demonstrate our level and involvement of shade. The certification that Selva Negra holds is that from the Rainforest Alliance Eco-OK label.

1. Recommended minimum of 10 species of shade trees, no more than 70 percent of Inga At Selva Negra we have approximately 40 species of shade trees, among the most abundant are: Robles, Arenas, Aguacates, and Matapalos. The following is a list of the 60 most readily identifiable shade trees at the plantation. Please excuse the fact, that this list is only available in Spanish. Among these trees are those used in the reforestation efforts at the estate.

 Acacia Roja  Aguacates  Algodoncillo  Anona  Arenos  Azahar
 Bucaros  Cacaguillo  Calandria  Canelos  Caoba  Carrizillo
 Cecro Cocula  Cedro  Cipres  Copalchile  Coralillo  Cuernavaca
 Encino  Escobillo  Genizaro  Granadillo  Guacamayo  Guanacaste
 Guasimo  Guaslipe  Guava Negra  Guava Roja  Hombre grande Jaboncillo 
 Jicarillo  Leucaena  Liquidambar  Lizaquin  Madero Negro  Malinche
 Maria  Matapalos  Matasano  Moracea  Nogal  Pacon
 Palo de tierra  Pimienta  Pinos  Pisquin  Quina  Reitru
 Robles  Sabalo  Salix  Sangregado  Sauce  Tabacones
 Tempisque  Troton  Waslipe  Zapotillo  Zarai  Zorrillo

2. Minimum shade cover of 40 percent at noon
We have 60% of shade in the summer, and when we prune the shade of the coffee we leave 40% of shade, the prunning is done in the winter, or rainy season, so that by summer this shade has recuperated.

3. Minimum height of 10 meters for backbone trees; some shorter and smaller plants mixed in
We have areas with trees of heights of 35 to 40 meters, those are from the Willow family (Salix), we also have others of the Figus (Moracea) family they are about 25 to 30 meters high, then the Canelos (Lauracea), Robles (Fagacea), Arenos (Dendropanex)
they are about 20 meters high, and the lower tress like Guabas (Ingas) they are about 5 to 8 meter high.

Our average height should be 5 to 20 meters in some areas and 20 to 40 meters in others. Most of the areas have a three layer cannopy, as we have the high trees and the medium and the lower ones.

4. Limit pruning of shade trees and removal of epiphytes whenever possible
We pick up an area where the shade is more dense, say sometimes up to 80%, and then we prune the higher trees first, the medium size we prune them like an umbrela, and the lower ones we leave them to be pruned the next year, this way we dont ever leave an area bare.
We never leave an area with less than 40% shade, it would be to risky and even this is done when we have rain so they will recuperate quickly. We come back to that same area in about 6 years, this is how long it will take us to go though all the farm prunning the shade.

5. Maintain road and stream buffers
Yes, we have buffer zones, we need them not only for shade, but also for wind protection. We also have buffer zones in all our spring water and all our creeks, as well as rivers, we also have as buffer an animal life reserve approximately 400 manzanas (about 700 acres).
 

 
Selva Negra Coffee Estate
KM 140 Carretera a Jinotega Matagalpa, Nicaragua 011-505-772-3883
coffeeinfo@selvanegra.com