Agronomist — The Bridge Between Knowledge and Producers
- Krzysztof Blinkiewicz
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
Behind every coffee farm stands someone we rarely see — the agronomist. Jonas Leme Ferraresso, coffee agronomist and advisor from Jaguariúna (São Paulo, Brazil), explains climate reality, regeneration, and the human side of coffee production.
At Red Ink Coffee, we believe real knowledge begins where marketing ends. This conversation with Brazilian agronomist Jonas Leme Ferraresso lifts the curtain on the invisible work behind coffee — soil, climate, dignity, and the daily reality of producers. We also ask him about The Better Coffee and The Place structure.
The Agronomist — The Invisible Profession
Red Ink Coffee: Many people in coffee — especially in roasteries and cafés — have never met an agronomist. How would you explain, in simple terms, what you actually do?
Jonas Leme Ferraresso: The agronomist is a professional who works in all branches of agriculture: plant, animal, financial, social, economic, etc.
Red Ink Coffee: When did you realize that agronomy is not only about soil and plants — but about people and life itself?
Right from university, sociological and philosophical principles are part of an agronomist’s education — I believe this is true in all universities. But for me, the idea of proposing solutions and developing techniques means nothing if it does not make the lives of those who work in the field better, with more health, income, dignity, and happiness. In my opinion, being a professional in any area is about making people’s lives better. Whether you are a doctor, a waste collector, an agronomist, a writer, etc.
What’s the biggest misunderstanding about agronomists and their role in the coffee world?
Although agronomists are theoretically the bridge between the living knowledge developed in research universities and rural producers, they are often somewhat forgotten in the coffee production chain. Their role is fundamental so that new cultivation techniques — more sustainable, more economically viable, and more modern — can be properly taught, allowing producers to grow better, more productive, and ecologically balanced coffee.
How much of your daily work depends on science — and how much on trust, intuition, and relationships with farmers?
A lot. Just like in any profession, staying updated is essential, and reading the latest scientific research is at the core of a good coffee agronomist. Unfortunately, research institutions do not have enough time to develop, test, and publish their good results — and to ensure these results reach coffee fields. As I mentioned, the agronomist is the one who takes this raw scientific data and adapts it to the reality of each coffee farm.
Regeneration, Soil, and Climate
Red Ink Coffee: You’ve worked on dozens of farms in Brazil, often within agroforestry systems. What does regeneration really mean to you — beyond the buzzword?
Jonas Leme Ferraresso: I have had decades of contact with coffee growers and about 14 years working as a coffee agronomist. For me, coffee growing has always been regenerative, even before I knew this term. Producing while preserving the soil and the environment, using more efficient and less degrading cultivation techniques, has always been part of my approach as a professional. Today I work with organic, agroforestry, regenerative, conventional, traditional producers — and any other type that might exist.
To me, the solution for agriculture involves improving production techniques, exchanging information, and integrating the management of the people who work in the crop, the environment around them, the crop being produced, and the economic return.I understand that minimum parameters must be followed, but I do not like systems that are too rigid and not flexible. For example, a production system — whichever it is, no matter how perfect it seems on paper — will only be effective if the people responsible for its execution embrace the idea; otherwise, it will be flawed and not applicable, no matter how ecologically correct and adequate it may be.
I believe in sustainable production systems with some solid and non-negotiable ecological foundations, but with some plasticity in action and adaptation for each country, region, and producer.
Over the years, how have you seen Brazilian soils and microclimates change? What worries you most about the future?
The climatic effects on agriculture, in my opinion, are clear. Besides the various scientific data we have about these changes, every time I talk with coffee producers from different regions of Brazil, they all say that climate cycles are unpredictable: rain, drought, cold, heat — nothing behaves as expected.
This uncertainty, combined with recurring climatic problems, brings many doubts to producers, who each year spend more to maintain their crops and produce the same or less than the year before. And there is, of course, the concern we all have: will we be able to produce coffee — or other foods — under more extreme climate conditions?
My concern regarding coffee is that if the commodity market plunges into a drop in prices, the ability of these producers to remain in the activity in the short and medium term is very small, since production costs and global inflationary processes do not seem to be decreasing.
We could then see a production that is more expensive, more challenging, and less profitable for these producers.
Can coffee ever be grown without violence toward the land?
Yes. Each year we see more modern cultivation techniques, with varieties resistant to pests and diseases that require fewer agrochemicals; more productive areas producing more coffee in smaller spaces; and more efficient soil and land conservation techniques.
It is important to make it clear that every form of agricultural production is not natural — it generates some environmental or social impact. However, with each cycle I see improvements.
Red Ink Coffee: Farmers live inside climate reality every day. What do they understand about it that scientists, traders, or roasters often miss?
As I mentioned, producers see that there is climate instability, that the climate is changing. However, well-prepared agronomists must propose effective solutions that reduce the baseline impact of agricultural activity without harming the income of these farmers.
There are hundreds of techniques and actions that can be taken to reduce the impact of agriculture, but like all of us, the producer works in an economic activity in which he dedicates himself to providing sustenance, health, education, and leisure to his family.
Connecting this perception of change with solutions — and ensuring their applicability without harming the producer’s income — is the path.
Knowledge, Dignity, and Collaboration
Red Ink Coffee: You don’t just advise producers — you also teach them. What is it like to share knowledge with farmers who may have less formal education, but deep practical wisdom?
Jonas Leme Ferraresso: As I mentioned, I have been in contact with coffee producers for longer than I have been an agronomy professional. First, I try to understand the person behind the producer: his story, his dreams, and his connection with the land.Farmers have a connection with their work and their land that is much deeper than someone who has never worked in the field can imagine. Farming is often not just a business, but part of the farmer’s entire life.
To me, it is important to understand that the farmer has a lot to teach me — after all, most of them have been cultivating on the same land for decades. They know the climate, nature, and their coffee fields much better than I will ever know.After building this foundation, I learn to develop explanations that address technical aspects, but in a practical, metaphorical, and playful way, within the space of closeness and trust we have already built.
For me, the conversation is always between equals. He has a role in these projects, just as I have mine. We are partners on a path we will build together.
In this way, everything I apply in the field I explain to the producer, so that he understands the importance and reason behind using a certain technique — or why we are using a technique he already used, modified or not.
How important is solidarity among producers today — can it still exist in a competitive market?
Yes, producer communities have an excellent relationship. Families know each other, share experiences, techniques, tools, and help one another.
After all, in many rural communities this interdependence is essential for everyone to live well. We must remember that these areas are often far from urban centers; there are no pharmacies, gas stations, or supermarkets around the corner.
Of course, nothing is utopian or perfect — we are all human — but this capacity for mutual help and sharing that exists in the countryside fascinates me.
You’ve also written for magazines and spoken at public events. What do you try to pass on to younger agronomists and coffee professionals?
I try to transmit the same thing I believed when I was a young agronomist. If you do not have experience, seek knowledge; study what you love within agriculture.Respect others. The farmer will probably teach you much more than you will teach him — learn.
Be human, and capital will naturally enter your life. And be happy, that is the most important thing.
Can farming still be a dignified profession in a world where land is often treated as a commodity rather than a shared resource?
I believe so. There are many shades when we think about agriculture, although much of society sees only black and white. In agriculture, we have large producers, whose production is often associated with immediate and growing profit; and small producers, who live off the land and barely manage to maintain a dignified life.
Both extremes exist, but in between them there are all kinds of farmers.
This problem must be addressed with local and global public policies, in which these disparities are reduced through stricter taxes and laws for large agricultural conglomerates, and technical, financial, and social support policies for small producers.
This issue of turning everything into a commodity is, in my opinion, even bigger. A global social effect, which also happens with environmental issues, because we do not understand that almost everything is a shared liability or resource.
We are not all in the same boat — we are in the same ocean. Unfortunately, smaller storms capsize only the smaller and weaker boats, but the larger ones sink everyone.Rethinking our future as humanity should have been settled long ago.
The Better Coffee, Values, and the Future
Red Ink Coffee: In The Better Coffee Standard, one of the principles says: “Ecology is not branding.” What does that sentence mean to you in your daily practice?
Jonas Leme Ferraresso: Producing while preserving is the basis for sustainable production — especially economically.
I think it is important to reinforce the message that keeping a planet viable for life is essential so that we remain viable here as well.
I admit I have some resistance — as I said — to large companies, governments, or entities that try to push generic sustainability models onto different countries, regions, and producers.
The most complicated but most effective solution is to build viable and flexible ecological plans so that they can actually be applied.
Which of The Better Coffee’s core values do you feel most connected to — and how does it appear in your work?
Certainly, the value I feel most connected to is the inequality and lack of dignity experienced by coffee producers in many countries.I think there is no doubt that the farmer is always the weakest link in the chain — and the one who most absorbs the changes imposed to preserve the economic and social interests of coffee.
Stricter environmental laws, more refined and difficult-to-produce beverages, unstable commodity markets, adverse climate, payments incompatible with the needs of families…
I could list another dozen points — and in the end, it is always the producer who absorbs all of it.
Therefore, seeing the producer as a fundamental element of production — and understanding that without him traders, industry, competitions, and consumers do not exist — should be the basic starting point for building fair and dignified conditions for these farmers.
This is the essence of technical assistance: creating conditions for their lives to be better and happier.
Imagine a future where agronomy becomes part of The Places — maybe as a part of The Place Hórreo or The Better Coffee Lab. What could that bring to the coffee world?
I think the role of agronomy is fundamental to the coffee chain. As I said, it is responsible for taking dynamic technical concepts and turning them into something concrete and applicable in the fields.
