The DULCIKAFE farm, located in the Dominican Republic, is made up of two coffee plantations called La Lanza and Los Lirios, which are in the small town of Polo in the province of Barahona. They’re located in the centre of the Sierra de Bahoruco about 1,000 metres above sea level. Their diverse vegetation and their climate confer a permanently moist habitat. Their soil is fertile and is ideal for coffee cultivation.
Here in the town of Polo, we have a tropical island climate with a temperature that varies between 16 °C and 28 °C. The annual rainfall is 1,500 to 2,500 mm and the properties are at an altitude of 900 and 1,100 m, which is highly suited for coffee production. Rainfall in this coffee growing region is abundant and winter is characterized by its dryness, which facilitates harvesting and fruit quality.
An ecosystem’s health can be measured by the conditions of its soils and by its water resources. Coffee forests directly affect both. To understand this relationship, we must know its forest, shade and soil.
Our coffee forests not only protect the soil, but also help to nourish it. The roots of the shade trees penetrate the different layers of the soil, providing nutrients that are transferred to leaves. As they fall, they form layers that release nitrogen into the soil. This cycle acts as a natural way to fertilize coffee plants.
The soils are of medium depth, with clayey texture. The subsoil is composed of limestone parent material.
The pH is slightly acidic (5.93 – 6.58), which are optimal values for coffee plants.
The soil is covered by a layer of organic matter with 13.81% of OM, produced by the coverage created by the shade. The leaves of trees and coffee trees that fall to the ground are in a constant state of decomposition, thus improving fertility, favouring cultivation and reducing the need to use chemical fertilizers.
From an edaphic point of view, the limestone parent rock, the PH and the organic matter on our farms work together to form a shaded, coffee-growing agrosystem, which makes the region’s coffee-growing ecosystem and organoleptic qualities of its coffee unique.
Coffee trees grow in moderately intense sunlight. When they receive filtered light, the coffee plant’s respiration and photosynthesis are regulated, thereby causing the beans to mature slowly. That improves the attributes of body and acidity in the final cup. In the rainy season, the trees intercept and release it slowly, which prevents erosion and maintains moisture in the soil.
It is used in places where the shade has disappeared or is not abundant. We sow Musaceae. (plantains and bananas) and castor oil plants, because they are fast growing and protect the coffee tree while the permanent shade grows.
High shade: our preference is to use African tulip trees. These trees grow amazingly fast and reach a large size. Their shade acts like a parasol for other lower growing plants.
Medium-height shade: We use the Guama, a medium-sized rapidly growing (leguminous) tree, which reaches heights of 10 to 12 metres. The Guama’s leaves that fall to the ground are very rich in nitrogen, which contributes to the growth of coffee trees.
