Vincent de Leijster

27 Study cases 2 Figure 2-2. Productivity and market prices of coffee and almonds. (a) Productivity of almonds in Almería and Granada (Spain) (solid line) and Spanish market prices for organic almonds (dashed line). (b) Productivity of coffee in Risaralda (Colombia) (solid line) and Colombian market prices for coffee (dashed line). 2.3 Farming strategies The two case studies differ partly in the types of farming strategies that are in place (Figure 1-3). For almonds, the aim is to improve the productivity of the main crop by enhancing supporting ecological processes, more specifically by improving soil quality and protecting against soil erosion. Furthermore, the size of almond kernels sometimes changes in response to agroecological interventions, which is a quality characteristic that results in higher prices. Finally, more environmental services may be delivered as a result of adjusted land management, which can be valued by public or private compensation schemes. For coffee, agroecological management may improve the physical aspects of the coffee beans (such as their size and the absence of deficits), which relate to their quality and which are valued at a higher price. Furthermore, diversification of crops and tree products is a traditional practice in coffee production, which some farmers in the case study region also aim for. In addition, more environmental services may be delivered in coffee as a result of the agroecological management, and these services may be marketed.