Farm 4 - La Esperanza
Assessment and Recommendations
July 2026
Background
La Esperanza is a young coffee farm in Cajamarca, Peru just entering its third year of production. Although young, the farm already has strong yields and produces high-quality coffee. La Esperanza’s central tension is between strong baseline productivity and a soil-biology profile under chemical pressure which is impacting the soil fauna diversity.
The farm owner values ecosystem health and has noted his motivation for transitioning to regenerative coffee and participating with Falcon On-Farm as being to:
Support soil health and maintain the quality of the coffee.
General information
| Location | Cajamarca, Peru |
| Elevation | 1810 m asl |
| Total farm area | 3.0 ha |
| Project area | 3.5 ha |
| Varietal | Marseillaise, Geisha and Catuai |
Assessment
Various pieces of information were collected to assess the current state of the farm and provide data on which to base next steps and recommendations for the transiting the farm to regenerative agriculture practices. Site visits and interviews with the producers were conducted. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for both chemical and biological parameters.
Baseline surveys were conducted to gather information on farm management techniques such as fertilizer and pesticide use, pruning and renovation methods and incidence of pest and diseases.
Existing strengths of the farm
The farm has a good basis on which to build in more regenerative practices. The list below highlights some of its strengths.
Good Production Levels
Yield of 2,760 kg/ha in 2025 which is very good for a three-year crop and already has a cupping score of 85 points.
Soil has Good Retention
CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) 17.85: The soil retains and stores nutrients well. Organic matter at 6.23%, good.
Almost No Disease Detected
Wilting 2.7% and anthracnose 3.7%. There is very little disease detected – the amount of chemicals used is unnecessary.
Microbes Release Phosphorus
80.7% capacity and 66.2% real-world use: the biology of phosphorus works. The bridge is missing: the AMFs (Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi).
No Herbicides and Manages Own Nursery
No herbicides used, weeds are controlled by hand. Nursery managed on site and the fungi can be inoculated by the owner.
Good Size Farm – 3 ha
Enough area to make it worthwhile to invest in biology and other crops.
Areas for improvement
The soil-biology profile at La Esperanza is under chemical pressure with a need to rebalance the soil chemistry, decrease dependence on chemical inputs and increase soil fauna diversity. There are three primary constraints that limit the potential of the farm and can be addressed through regenerative practices.
Calcium deficit, aluminum at toxicity threshold
Calcium is at 52.8% when it should be higher: deficit of 1,264 lb/ac. And aluminum, at 808 ppm, is at the edge of toxicity. Note of caution: there is too much magnesium (23.5%), so the correction should NOT contain magnesium.
Ca deficit 1,264 lb/ac · Al at 808 ppm
Chemicals are killing the biology
Only 318 species of microbes detected, the lowest figure of the three farms in Peru for the project. Natural defense is at 16.7% and insect control at 5.9%. This is the result of applying Bazuka 7 times a year.
318 species ·
Natural Defense 16.7%
The soil is being washed away
Erosion is already visible where the slope has no shade trees. There are very few trees (one every 70 m) and the ground is bare. With the heavy rains coming, the damage will progress faster.
Shade cover ~10% · Soil erosion
Recommendations and Next Steps
Based on the findings from the assessment, the following phased recommendations have been outlined that will improve soil health and rebalance soil chemistry, provide natural pest management and create a healthy, productive ecosystem for the coffee to thrive. The recommendations will be discussed with the farm owners this summer and implementation is set to start in the fall.
Phase 1 (first 6 months)
• Amend soils with gypsum or CaCO₃
• Inoculate soils with AMF fungi in the nursery
Apply zinc (sulphate), boron (borax) and foliar manganese
• Apply Trichoderma and start with Beauveria
• Lower Bazuka from 7× to 5× per year
Phase 2 (6-18 months)
• Replace Molimax 20-20-20 with K₂SO₄
• Increase compost to 6–10 kg/plant/year
• Establish cover crops and hedgerows
• Initiate habitat flower strip establishment
• Plant guaba and inga edulis (30–40 per ha)
• Lower Bazuka from 5× to 3× per year
• Start making compost tea
Phase 3 (18-36 months)
• Reduce synthetic nitrogen by 30–50%
• Lower Bazuka from 3× to 1–2× per year
• Remove the Amistar Top and use Trichoderma
• Cut and spread the Desmodium
• Prune Flemingia to regrow
• Sow capirona, avocado and macadamia
• Check for phosphorus; Phosphate rock if <1 ppm
• Repeat soil and biological analysis
Summary
La Esperanza enters this assessment with strong baseline productivity (2,760 kg/ha in 2025, 85-point cup quality) sitting on a soil chemistry that needs targeted correction and a microbiome that has been suppressed by chemical pressure. The work breaks into four integrated streams.
Stream one: rebalance the soil chemistry through magnesium-free calcium amendment (gypsum 1,500–1,800 kg/ha or CaCO₃ 2,000–2,500 kg/ha) — this addresses the 1,264 lbs/acre calcium deficit, stabilizes aluminum at the 808 ppm toxicity threshold, and creates conditions for phosphorus release.
Stream two: restore AMF and inoculate with Trichoderma to unlock the existing phosphorus reserve and rebuild the disease defense layer.
Stream three: step down the 7×/year Bazuka regime in measured increments as Beauveria bassiana, ground cover, and flower strips rebuild biological pest regulation — the very low current disease and pest pressure (Coffee Wilt Disease at 2.7/100, anthracnose at 3.7/100, field pest pressure at 4%) makes this the optimal window for the transition.
Stream four: densify the shade canopy and establish ground cover to deliver 120–180 kg N/ha/year of biological nitrogen and stabilize the slope sections currently showing light erosion.
Within three to five years, La Esperanza can transition the largest line in the input bill (10,125 PEN/year on synthetic fertilizers, plus chemical pesticide costs) into a predominantly biologically driven system — protecting the existing yield and cup quality while reducing dependency on the inputs that are currently constraining the biological recovery.
Assessment, Recommendations and Summary text and diagrams courtesy of Sam Knowlton, Soil Symbiotics