Coffee Farmers in Laos Say Agroforestry Requires More Than Mere Advice

Agroforestry is gaining ground as a way to protect coffee crops from extreme weather, but smallholders say they need more than advice — they need a better price.

Laos has experienced extreme weather in recent years and agroforestry, an age-old method of growing coffee under the shade of trees, is being promoted as a sustainable lifeline. However, without better support systems — especially fair pricing mechanisms — many farmers are hesitant to adopt the practice.

In the cool highlands of southern Laos, the smell of freshly roasted beans drifts through coffee plantations that stretch across volcanic soil. But behind the brewing lies a tougher story.

Extreme weather linked to climate change is increasingly threatening one of the country’s most prized exports.

Earlier this year, temperatures on the Bolaven Plateau plunged below freezing during an unexpected cold snap, killing more than 20,000 coffee trees and affecting at least 97 farming families in seven villages. 

The sudden chill froze coffee tree roots and leaves. This followed an intense heat wave in April 2024, when temperatures soared to 41 degrees Celsius, putting stress on crops.

“For the past years, we found more leaves have turned yellow, and there’s been a lot of plant rot,” said Khamseng Syvong, a coffee shop owner and member of the Lao Coffee Association.

“Many farmers feel they have no choice but to use chemical fertilizers to keep the plants healthy and maintain yields,” he added, voicing concern about the erosion of traditional, chemical-free growing methods that once set Lao coffee apart.  

One of the answers to these issues is agroforestry. Known as Kong Pa (ກ້ອງປ່າ) in Lao, agroforestry introduces shade trees that help regulate soil moisture, provide shelter from extreme weather and support long-term soil health — ultimately helping crops like coffee thrive under changing climatic conditions.

However, despite this benefit, many small-scale farmers are reluctant to make the switch. 

The reason? It doesn’t pay.

Coffee culture booms, but so do climate risks

Vientiane, the capital of Laos, has experienced a booming café scene in recent years, driven not only by rising demand for high-quality coffee, but also by a surge in local production — reflecting a broader shift toward a vibrant, homegrown coffee culture.

This movement is fueled by more than just tourists seeking a taste of authentic Lao coffee. 

Increasingly, young Laos are embracing the drink as a symbol of modern identity, a social ritual, and a source of pride. Cafes have become key gathering spaces for work, conversation and creativity.

Khamseng’s café serves beans sourced from Pakxong district in Bolaven Plateau — Laos’ most prominent coffee-growing region. His shop in Vientiane draws a mix of locals and visitors, offering everything from medium-grade beans to premium and specialty coffees.

“Lao coffee has a unique taste and aroma, and many small-scale farmers still follow organic practices, which makes it very special,” he said.

While local production has steadily increased, unpredictable weather patterns and extreme climate events are threatening coffee farms — and, by extension, the cafés that depend on them.

“[Extreme weather] has affected both taste and bean size, while reducing both yield and quality over the past three or four years,” said Khamseng, who runs a coffee plantation in Paxong that pilots agroforestry. 

According to Laos’ Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Champasak Province has more than 51,000 hectares of coffee, by far the largest in the country. Members of the Lao Coffee Association export about 30 tons annually, according to a report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the trend is increasing. 

But if climate change continues unchecked and farmers are left without support, both yields and quality could decline, threatening one of the country’s most promising industries.

A study by the Food and Agriculture Organization warns that by 2050, rising temperatures could reduce suitable land for Robusta and Arabica coffee in southern Laos. Changing weather patterns could also distort flavor profiles, leading to more bitterness and acidity imbalances.

Meanwhile, the World Bank has counted 38 extreme climate events in Laos since 1996, causing more than US$625 million in damages. About 71% of these events were tied to El Niño or La Niña weather cycles.

A shift toward Kong Pa

Faced with mounting climate threats — and with aspirations to become a regional coffee powerhouse — the Lao government, along with international development agencies, has turned to Kong Pa, as a climate-resilient and environmentally friendly solution for sustainable coffee production.

The method is believed to improve soil health, buffer crops from weather shocks and reduce erosion.

In recent years, several projects have aimed to scale up this approach. For example, the Lao Upland Rural Advisory Service and Agro-Biodiversity Initiative, both supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, worked with local farmers to promote agroforestry techniques.

Asia Investment Development and Construction Sole Co, Ltd (AIDC) and the Petroleum Authority of Thailand — a state enterprise that owns Café Amazon in Thailand and neighboring countries — launched a new collaboration this year to study and implement agroforestry on 356 hectares of coffee plantations owned by AIDC in Pakxong. 

One farmer who started mixing avocado trees into his fields said the results were promising: “The shade helps reduce heat stress and protects the cherries. The beans taste sweeter and are more aromatic.”

Lao authorities have also introduced coping strategies, such as controlled fires to raise farm temperatures during cold snaps, mist removal by shaking plants and frost-prevention coverings.

However, many small-scale farmers say these techniques, along with Kong Pa, are not yet widely adopted. 

Most only apply them when development projects arrive in their villages, as they observed that agroforestry typically produces lower yields than monoculture systems in the short term.

This makes it difficult for smallholders to compete with large-scale coffee plantations owned by foreign investors, which occupy about 60% of the coffee plantations in southern Laos, often clearing vast areas of land to grow coffee.

A pricing gap that holds farmers back

“Kong Pa can help preserve the quality of coffee in the long run, and buyers should pay a higher price for beans grown using this method [compared to those produced without sustainable practices],” said  Khamseng from the Lao Coffee Association.

However, in reality, the long-term value of agroforestry has not been integrated into Laos’s coffee supply chain, where pricing still largely depends on quantity, species and bean processing methods.

Kamhung, the owner of a Lao coffee supply company focused on Thai buyers, pointed out that the market has yet to fully embrace organic coffee practices, even though there is growing awareness of food safety.

Selling organic agricultural products requires a Certificate of Organic Agriculture, known as Ka Kok Kiew (ກາກົກຂຽວ), but many farmers struggle to meet the standards. These include criteria such as soil and plant contamination levels—something many rural farmers aren’t equipped to meet without more training and financial support.

As the Lao government emphasizes plans to further boost the agriculture and forestry sectors—including agroforestry—to enhance production and exports, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone acknowledged that many challenges remain. Those include a lack of knowledge of modern cultivation techniques and limited access to mechanization.

Faced with ongoing inflation and economic constraints, many farmers sell raw coffee cherries rather than processing them or adding value with sustainable farming practices.

“Most still use traditional methods and think processing is a waste of time,” said an official in the Agriculture and Forestry Department in Champasak. “But even good beans will taste bad if the processing is poor.”

“We want to grow coffee the right way,” said one farmer. “But we can’t do it alone.”

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Notes

• This article was originally published in Mekong Eye. It is published here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
• Sources named in this story have been anonymized or use pseudonyms due to the sensitive nature of media reporting in Laos.
• This story was supported by Earth Journalism Network.
• Daily Coffee News does not engage in sponsored content of any kind. Any statements or opinions expressed belong solely to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Daily Coffee News or its management.

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