Field Visit to Sikincau Coffee Farms Showcases Potential of Circular Cultivation in West Lampung

Following the successful National Coffee Seminar held on October 24, participants continued the second day of activities with a field visit to two coffee farming locations in the Sikincau region of West Lampung, Indonesia. The visit provided practical insight into how both newly planted and mature coffee crops can contribute to sustainable agricultural development when managed properly.

The activity was attended by members of the RIKUB 2025 Consortium, including its Chairman, Prof. Dr. Novizar Nazir. The consortium’s participation demonstrated strong academic support for sustainable agricultural innovation and circular economy practices within the coffee sector.

The first location visited was an Arabica coffee plantation featuring young, high-yield coffee plants. Remarkably, the coffee trees had already started producing fruit at only 20 months old, highlighting the effectiveness of modern cultivation techniques, proper maintenance, and high-quality plant propagation methods.

The second location presented a contrasting but equally impressive example of sustainability through an old-growth Robusta coffee plantation. The coffee trees at this site were approximately 40 years old and had undergone intensive rejuvenation through careful pruning and recultivation practices. Despite their age, the trees continued producing high-quality coffee cherries, demonstrating the long-term value of regenerative farming and effective resource management.

Both plantation sites showed excellent productivity and became important examples for seminar participants and researchers. The visits reinforced the understanding that properly managed coffee farms, whether newly established or decades old, possess significant potential for sustainable and continuous development.

Prof. Dr. Novizar Nazir emphasized that the success of Sikincau farmers in maintaining coffee productivity across different plant life cycles strongly reflects the principles of the CircularTrace concept. According to him, agricultural resources such as genetic materials and established root systems can be continuously renewed, maintained, and optimized instead of being replaced through a linear production model.

The field visit also provided valuable real-world observations and data that will support future national research initiatives related to sustainable coffee cultivation and circular agricultural systems.