Improving Biodiversity Performance of Coffee Farms in Vietnam
Background
The “Improving Biodiversity Performance of Coffee Farms in Vietnam” project is a multi-phase initiative to enhance biodiversity across 7,000 coffee farms. It focuses on monitoring biodiversity at the landscape level, developing farm-specific Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs), and aligning practices with international sustainability frameworks. Centred in Gia Lai province, one of Vietnam’s key coffee-growing regions, the project runs from June 2025 to May 2028.
4C Services manages the project and Vinh Hiep Co. Ltd., a major Vietnamese coffee exporter, serves as the local implementing partner. Technical partners include Meo Carbon Solutions (MCS) and experts from Bodensee Stiftung and Global Risk Assessment Services (GRAS), who will monitor biodiversity indicators through remote sensing and satellite imagery.
The Challenge
Biodiversity is a critical component of sustainable agriculture and climate resilience. Healthy ecosystems underpin soil fertility, water regulation and pest control—essential for long-term crop productivity. Yet across many agricultural landscapes, biodiversity continues to decline because of intensive farming, monocultures and land-use pressures. In coffee-growing regions, these pressures threaten both ecosystems and the livelihoods of the people who depend on them.
This loss not only threatens local ecosystems but also undermines global sustainability goals. Without effective measures to protect and restore biodiversity, agricultural systems become more vulnerable to climate risks, pests and soil degradation. Despite growing recognition of biodiversity’s importance, practical tools and frameworks for monitoring and improving biodiversity performance remain limited, leaving a gap between policy commitments and on-the-ground action.
Our Solutions
MCS is testing the Biodiversity Performance Tool (BPT) through a feasibility study and, in collaboration with 4C, developing BAPs for coffee farmers. These efforts aim to provide practical examples for future certification processes and to help bridge the gap between biodiversity conservation, certification and financial incentives.
Our Approach
MCS is conducting a feasibility study to assess whether biodiversity measures meet the criteria for credible, high-quality biodiversity credits. This process includes evaluating the integrity, transparency and reliability of proposed actions. The feasibility study will inform future biodiversity credit certification and help advance biodiversity financing in coffee production. To achieve this goal, MCS is developing a set of indicators to quantify improvements in biodiversity within the project area. These indicators will be used to establish the baseline (current status) and to monitor how biodiversity changes over time as improved management is applied.
In parallel, as the project develops farm-level BAPs and a robust set of indicators to monitor biodiversity impacts in context-specific ways, the study will also examine ecological benefits and explore pathways for certification and the issuance of biodiversity credits—creating a foundation for long-term financing and sector-wide adoption.
The Results
As the project progresses, Vietnam’s biodiversity performance will improve and the financial gap for conservation will close—positioning Vietnam’s coffee sector as a leader in sustainable, biodiversity-friendly production.
This project is still ongoing; stay tuned for updates on our progress and the final results.