When Raymund Mirabueno Abandoned His Coffee Farm, It Was The Best Thing That Ever Happened To It!

This is my story of Raymund Mirabueno and his coffee farm in Mantibugao, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon in Southern Philippines that even he does not know! No, nobody else knows.

Marian San Pedro says, "Coffee Farmer's 'Big Mistake' Leads To International Success" (25 October 2019, F&B Report, fnbreport.ph). Mr Mirabueno does not know that when he planted those 700 Robusta coffee trees in their Mantibugao farm in Bukidnon and abandoned it 4 years later, that was the one that led to international success.

In the above image (from Redjie Melvic M Cawis' article "Coffee Heritage Project Plants 3,000 Coffee Trees In Sagada," 24 June 2019, Philippine Information Agency, pia.gov.ph), the gentlemen have cleared an area to plant their coffee – this is "clean culture" that we studied at the University of the Philippines' College of Agriculture in the early 1960s. Later, I learned on my own that this was wrong – this dries up the soil. If you planted 700 coffee seedlings like Mr Mirabueno did, that is a lot of watering to do! A good reason to abandon the project.

You need nurse trees. Nonito M Tamayo of the Forest Management Bureau, FMB, says, "NGP Nurseries: Not A Waste Of Money," 27 June 2017, opinion.inquirer.net):

There are many heavily denuded areas that have to be planted with fast-growing exotic species to serve as nurse trees before the agroforestry species are planted for their greater survivability.

Note: Nurse trees need to be planted and grown before you plant and grow your wanted species, in this case coffee.

RJ Santiago-García says "Nurse trees are adult plants that are frequently used to enhance seedling establishment by mitigating extreme environmental factors" (01 December 2008, "The Role of Nurse Trees in Mitigating Fire Effects on Tropical Dry Forest Restoration: A Case Study," BioOne, bioone.org). If Mr Mirabueno knew about nurse trees, this would not have happened, as he puts it:

The changing climate conditions and patterns ruin your trees. The droughts almost shave them off their leaves that dry out, the strong rains and winds break them sometimes, and the fluctuations in weather bring higher risk for pests and disease.

That's exactly why they are called nurse trees – they will take care of your prized plants so that neither the soil nor the leaves will dry out, and strong rains and winds cannot break them.  Actually, the nurse trees will keep your prized plants healthy so that they themselves can withstand any attack of pest or disease.

Again, what was the best thing that ever happened to Mr Mirabueno's coffee farm? He abandoned it! Clean culture is bad; unclean culture is good for growing coffee, or any other horticultural crop that needs shade trees, like cacao.

Abandoned, the farm in Mantibugao, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon grew richer – in the soil and in the plant population, including the coffee trees.

Miss Marian reports that last 21 October, Mirabueno Coffee won the Gourmet award at the 5th "Locally Roasted Coffees” International Contest in Paris. Remember: Good soil makes good coffee!@517