Carbon Smart Agroforestry
A Carbon Sink that Enriches a Community
Like many homesteads in Wayanad, Rubaiyat is primarily a coffee plantation. Shade-grown coffee plantations can store upto one-half as much carbon as a forest, which is two to three times more than unshaded plantations. Unlike forests, cash crop plantations create employment and economic opportunities for the surrounding communities—especially in the era of single-origin specialty coffees and jackfruit-based superfoods.
Shade trees can sequester up to 1 tonne of carbon per hectare annually. Agroforestry systems, like the one at Rubaiyat, combine coffee with other commercial tree crops such as jackfruit, avocado, and pepper - increasing the . These systems not only enhance carbon sequestration but also maintain coffee yields.
In addition, Rubaiyat features a trial Miyawaki forest and a butterfly park, populated with indigenous plants that provide a home for many species endemic to the Western Ghats.
8000 sq.m.
Newly forested
60+
Fruit Species
67%
Reduction in chemical fertiliser use over the past two years
Wayanad Robusta Coffee
Charting a path from Commodity to Specialty
Once considered inferior to its more flamboyant cousin, Arabica, Robusta coffee is now gaining recognition among both connoisseurs and environmentalists. Known for its resilience, Wayanad Robusta thrives through moderate droughts and heavy rainfall. It delivers a robust cup, with tasting notes of nuts, flowers, and local fruits.
The coffee growers in Wayanad typically use a dry processing method, sun-drying the cherries, which allows the beans to absorb the flavors of the fruit’s exterior. With its higher caffeine content, it provides an energizing boost without the dreaded crash.
A crucial step in making Wayanad both sustainable and resilient is elevating its Robusta coffee from a commodity bean to its rightful status as a specialty coffee. This is a exhaustive journey that involves sustainable environmental and agricultural practices, rigorous quality control, and the integration of best practices across multiple homesteads within a community. Rubaiayat seeks to be a part of this process, both as a member farm and a case study.
Agro-forestry in Pictures
Carbon smart water use