As presented in the previous two parts of this series, growers and processors in the global coffee value chain don’t actually see much of the end revenue that’s generated from consumers. This economic injustice for coffee farmers doubles as a root-cause barrier to broader sustainability aims in the industry. Without stable or realistic incomes, smallholder farmers are less likely to implement or even consider the implementation of environmental solutions. Mechanisms to ensure coffee farmers capture more of the final retail price that downstream actors currently benefit from are paramount to the ongoing resilience and sustainability of the sector.
Coffee plants shaded by banana trees. Colombia Best Cup 2018.
Photos by: Victor Pagán. Courtesy of Cafe Imports.
Parallel to enacting just incomes, several key concepts take the forefront of the conversation around environmental solutions – nearly all based on proper management of water use, soil health, and climate risk abatement.
With water acting as a key factor in successful coffee growth and production, proper management of water use/systems and protection of local water sources are both critical practice areas for growers. Especially non-organic or non-regenerative farms where additive use is high, intentional care must be taken to protect bordering environments from spillover of fertilizers, pests, plant diseases, and runoff.
Where buffer zones and water use conservation help to protect local water systems, complementary solutions are required to address the importance of soil health and long-term crop sustainability. Some of the leading practices in this regard are the addition of soil amendments like compost, biostimulants (microorganisms or soil additives meant to enhance both crop nutrition and efficiency, and to limit abiotic stresses), and the use of cover crops.
Lastly, when dealing with mitigating and abating risk from changing climatic conditions, local, sustainable practices like shade grown cultivation (often using banana trees in countries like Colombia) can lend themselves toward protecting against crop loss while other practices, such as maintaining a high density of both coffee and shade crops, can work towards conserving a suitable ecosystem for local birds, animals, and insects. Innovators in the space in both consumer and producer countries have also began exploring more unique approached to mitigation, such as controlled environment growing of coffee crops and breeding new varietals with a heightened focus on resilience against higher temperatures and other changing abiotic stressors.
B Corp Cafe Imports works with the international non-profit, Trees, Water People (TWP) to address a multitude of these areas, in a clear example of the necessity for both local and broad-scoped support for environmental and economic solutions.
“(TWP) is a Fort Collins, Colorado based non-for-profit that aims to create opportunities for people to engage in work which enriches lives and fosters the wellbeing of families, communities, and the planet. As an environmental organization with a human focus, they emphasize the crucial role of people, from the team to the communities they support, in achieving their mission. They prioritize the voices of young people, women, girls, and Indigenous peoples in shaping a sustainable future, collaborating with local organizations, nonprofits, small businesses, and Tribal governments to empower communities. By addressing climate change with urgency, they engage in innovative partnerships with universities and businesses for regenerative solutions. Their approach rejects short-term fixes in favor of long-term, equitable investments, building trust with funders and partners to protect resources and rights for future generations. Cafe Imports currently supports TWP through the purchase of carbon offsets via the construction of clean cookstoves and reforestation initiatives in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.”
So, can trees alone save coffee? From what we’ve discussed in this series, no. The protection of this beloved crop and the livelihoods of those who depend on it rely heavily on a culmination of solutions. A large portion of the burden falls on improving the economics of the value chain, in the end. If unavoided, a changing climate will alter growing seasons, locations, viable species, pests, and more. Yet of equal importance, it threatens to displace and strip the economic capacity to employ climate solutions from the nearly 125 million people that rely on income from the coffee supply chain globally.
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