The Taino were the indigenous peoples who originally inhabited the Island of hispanola which now is made up of Haiti in the west and the Dominican Republic on the eastern 2/3 of the island. Their were five major Caciquats (Kingdoms) on the island with an estimated population from several hundred thousand to one million.
The Taino were primarily farmers and fisherman growing cotton with which they made clothes and nets for fishing, tobacco, corn, squash, peanuts and casava. In the Cordillera Mountains where our Cibao Altura Coffee Bean is grown, the Taino built terraces on the mountain side to grow crops.
They controlled burned the undergrowth to clear the land and saved the ashes for fertilizer. When it came time to plant, they gather together soil, ashes from the burn, leaves and other organic matter and formed mounds called Conucos . In addition to acting as fertilizer, the Conucos would easily drain water from heavy rain falls thus preventing root decay. Small fields were home to many different crops which was a key component of the Conuco system.
This established a diverse agroecosystem which mirrors the natural ecology of the surrounding areas. Several papers have recently been published that see the Conuco System one that needs to be replicated to promote soil regeneration, prevent soil erosion by increasing root strength and density of the plants. The mix of organic matters introduces much needed macronutrients into the soil to produce higher and healthier crop yields.
Although it is now a subject of study at universities, this is how our partners have been growing coffee longer than they can remember.
