Identification and implementation of water efficiency and decontamination technologies in the Colombian coffee sector

The project “Improving Water Efficiency in the Coffee Sector in the Magdalena Region” is implemented under the Partners for Water (PfW) programme by a consortium consisting of AidEnvironment, Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe, and Deltares. The project aims to reduce water pollution from coffee processing, improve water efficiency, and contribute to biodiversity conservation in Colombia’s Magdalena department.

The project focuses on the Fundación and Aracataca watersheds, which form an important hydrological link between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, two ecosystems of high ecological, cultural and hydrological value. Coffee production is a key livelihood in these watersheds, but current processing practices generate nutrient-rich wastewater that poses risks to surface water quality and downstream ecosystems.

The project focuses on preventing pollution at the source through an integrated, on-farm circular processing design. Central to the project is a pilot system that treats coffee pulp and processing wastewater together, using Black Soldier Fly larvae to convert organic by-products into reusable outputs. This closed-loop design is intended to fully eliminate liquid discharge from coffee processing, retain nutrients on the farm, and significantly reduce pressure on surrounding water bodies.

The project works with coffee farmers, local partners, and sector institutions to design, install, and evaluate this system under local conditions. By keeping all processing by-products within the farm system, the pilot demonstrates how compliance with water regulations can be achieved while simultaneously improving resource efficiency and reducing environmental risks.

Key elements of the approach include:

• Improving water efficiency in coffee processing and reducing uncontrolled water abstraction;
• Fully preventing wastewater discharge by treating coffee pulp and aguas mieles in a closed-loop, on-farm system;
• Designing simple, low-cost and locally adaptable processing solutions that can be easily replicated by coffee farmers within the project area and beyond;
• Retaining and reusing nutrients on-farm through Black Soldier Fly larvae processing, reducing the need for external inputs; and
• Contributing to biodiversity conservation by reducing nutrient loads and sediment flows to downstream ecosystems and by supporting more resilient farm systems.

By addressing water, nutrients, and organic by-products at the processing stage, the project aims to reduce cumulative impacts at watershed level and limit downstream pollution of sensitive ecosystems such as the Ramsar site, Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta. Biodiversity benefits are achieved primarily through pollution prevention, and reduced pressure on aquatic and riparian ecosystems, rather than through isolated conservation measures.

A pilot implementation will serve as a demonstration of this integrated approach. Environmental and operational performance will be monitored to generate practical lessons for replication and upscaling within the Colombian coffee sector and in other coffee-producing regions facing similar water and pollution challenges.