When you hear the word "cassava", you might imagine afternoon snacks like tape, fried food, or getuk. But who would have thought, behind its simple appearance, cassava actually has great potential to help coffee farmers increase their income. Amid fluctuating coffee prices and increasingly limited land, several researchers have begun to try the idea of intercropping coffee with cassava. 

A team from IPB led by Prof. Rachmat Pambudy, with support from PT Kapal Api Global, conducted a trial planting Manggu variety cassava between coffee plants. The locations were in two places: Tanggamus, Lampung and Wonosobo, Central Java. 

The planting used planter bags and a drip irrigation system, so it wasn't just any old thing. The results were quite encouraging, especially in Tanggamus—the cassava grew healthily, didn't interfere with the coffee plants, and could actually help utilize the previously empty space between them. The planting distance was set at 1.5 x 1.5 meters, so they didn't jostle each other. And what makes it even more interesting is that cassava is not only sold in the form of fresh tubers, but can also be processed into mocaf flour, aka modified cassava flour—a gluten-free flour that is starting to be noticed by the healthy food industry.

With results like this, coffee farmers have an alternative source of income without having to expand their land. They can still focus on coffee, but have additional cassava that can be harvested and processed. So, it's not just about planting more, but also using land more intelligently and efficiently.

If you were a coffee farmer, would you try combining your land with cassava too?