Economic analysis of renewal methods in coffee growing (case study) Análisis económico de métodos de renovación en el cultivo de café (estudio de caso)

The recurrent use of lung and skeleton pruning has sparked interest among coffee growers seeking higher production levels in fewer harvests. This situation has led to the alteration of renewal cycles on farms, affecting the stability of production and, consequently, the producers' income by not knowing the economic implications of these practices in the medium and long term. Based on a case study, an economic analysis was carried out on four methods of coffee crop  renewal  based  on  different  types  of  pruning  and  intervention  times. The  pruning  evaluated  was  renewal  by stumping in a production cycle of five harvests, lung pruning with two production cycles of two harvests, skeleton pruning (two production cycles of two harvests), and zero safra (skull), three cycles of one harvest. The commercially managed plots were intervened on the same date from 2017 to 2022; the agronomic management was based on the technical recommendations generated by Cenicafé. The results showed that, despite the higher costs recorded, the income obtained in the renewal by the stumping system was higher, explained by a greater number of harvests in the same period than other types of pruning that recorded more unproductive periods due to the dynamics of the renewals. Likewise, the renewal by stumping had a lower proportion of lost and unproductive sites.