Coffee Farming Yields Down By 50% Due to Rising Temperatures

According to experts, rising temperatures are causing a 50% decrease in coffee farming yields.

In the 20-year lifespan of the plant, harvesting coffee is a delicate process that begins only when the plant is about four years old.

Before the perennial tree can bloom, it must establish itself in temperate surroundings and meet several requirements.

However, the €458 billion global coffee market, of which Europe accounts for the largest consumer share, is in flux due to climate change.

Rising Temperatures and Coffee Farming

The majority of coffee is grown in tropical highlands. However, according to Inter-American Development Bank, By 2050, the area suitable for growing coffee will have decreased by up to 50%. However, some places that are not the best for growing coffee might end up being harmful to the crop.

The national economies of countries like Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador, Nicaragua, India, and Madagascar are not the only ones at risk from this redrawn map of the world's coffee trade. Additionally, it would destroy the livelihoods of coffee farmers, 70% of whom have small businesses.

According to Dr. Christian Bunn of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, the long lifespan of the tree poses a significant challenge to this majority.

To survive in the long run, small-scale farmers must now invest in alternative farming techniques, but these investments are expensive and may not yield the desired higher production yields.

Sustainable Alternatives

Indoor farming techniques are expensive, making them less accessible to small-scale coffee farmers. While some researchers are exploring vertical, indoor, and hydroponic farming methods, it is currently not being adopted by coffee farmers.

Vertical and indoor farming provides greater control over resources such as water, light, and wind, but small-scale farmers face challenges such as high costs for low yield and slow sales due to long shelf-life. Coffee trees can technically be grown in greenhouses, but hydroponic and vertical farming may not be practical due to high energy and water management needs.

To make vertical farming economically viable for small-scale farmers, high-value crops that can be harvested several times a year and sold in high-value markets are needed.

The high cost of indoor farming may lead to coffee production being moved to major consumer markets, leaving small-scale farmers with low profits. Wealthier farmers can afford expensive farming methods to enter niche premium coffee markets and make bigger profits.

Endre Vestvik, the founder of Wild, worries that this may lead to a second colonization of the commodity and contribute to increasing global inequalities. Vestvik advocates for sustainable farming solutions that benefit origin countries and farmers to address the sustainability challenges of coffee production.

Climate-Tolerant Coffee

Vestvik places some of his hopes in the creation of coffee seed varieties that are tolerant of changing climates. These breeding programs allow plants to adapt to drought, pests, and extreme heat.

Melvin Medina, an agricultural officer for the FAO, is not highly confident about this strategy, though. He said that Coffee is simply not a priority in comparison to other, more nutrient-dense foods, and work on a coffee breeding program will take years and years.

Although seed variety may be important, Medina prefers to use more environmentally friendly outdoor techniques first.

Simple Strategies vs. Increasing Challenges

Coffee production is facing increasing challenges due to climate change, and experts are exploring various solutions to adapt to the changing conditions. One approach is to use shade trees, which can provide a variety of benefits to coffee plants, such as protecting them from direct sunlight, and strong winds, and improving soil quality.

Another approach is to use new irrigation technologies like drip irrigation systems to manage water consumption. However, coffee experts disagree on whether rewilding coffee is a suitable approach for the global coffee market or just niche markets.

According to a previous article by the Fast Company, in terms of breeding, coffee lags far behind other agricultural sectors. Although new hybrids could be more resilient, the article emphasized that they haven't yet been bred for specific characteristics like heat resistance.

Nonetheless, most experts agree that action needs to be taken now to address climate change, and the best approach may depend on the regional context, Euro News.Green reports.