Learn about the consequences of climate change in coffee plantations around the world

Higher temperatures, long droughts punctuated by intense rainfalls, more resilient pests and plant diseases are the main consequences.

Climate change is a conversation topic that people cannot avoid anymore. It’s a fact, and it’s here to stay if we do not work our way to the applications of environmentally friendly techniques in agriculture. But why should you care? Well, because coffee production is being affected by it, this is due to higher temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns. Just in Latin America, especially in Colombia and Brazil crops, more than 90 percent of the land destined to coffee production will suffer those effects according to the National Academy of Science.

Coffee is an essential drink in everyone's diet, and the demand is increasing by the minute. Just think about it! Europe still accounts for one-third of the coffee consumed worldwide, and China, which is the most populated country on the planet, has mastered to double its consumption in the last five years.

Because of unpredictable rainfall patterns and rising temperatures, coffee production is at risk. It can lose what it needs to achieve the quality of taste as good as it has to. This changes also impact the farmers' work and their family incomes. Here you have a closer look at the effects of climate change in this matter and how you can help to stop them.

The effects of climate change on coffee production

The increase of extreme and unseasonal rainfall events only results in lower crop yields that are threatening coffee growers means. Higher temperatures also contribute to the apparition of pests that will typically die in the cold weather of the mountains, this, added to unstable natural warming conditions, can stale their growth and reproduction. All of these factors can be devastating for coffee cherries and crops.

If this continues, many farmers will choose to grow other crops on lands that are less vulnerable to climate change. The move might be required to keep their plants healthy and productive. Or they can just increment coffee production, compromising the quality of the bean. In that matter, if the climate does not allow berries to ripen at the right time, the flavor will be altered as well.

You’re surely used to drink a coffee cup every day, and that possibility of change sounds scary. But the demand for coffee will keep rising, and these circumstances will not stop farmers and producers. However, there's a good chance that the way coffee tastes and the varieties available shift, depending on the region your providers use to cultivate and how these are affected by climate change. There's also a good chance that the economy of traditional coffee countries will drop abruptly. Other things that can happen to crops is that the alteration in their environment leads “confused” plantations -yes, plants can get confused when maturing- due to dissociated weather.

How to help it stop

As coffee is one of the biggest commodities in the world, and its demand is still shifting, this industry is a safe choice for entrepreneurs like you, but the approach must be different, especially if you want to reduce the impact of climate change thanks to your business decisions.

Be aware of how you can recycle, reuse and build with green materials and technology. Inform yourself about techniques on how greening your business, because it will not only be good for the environment, but it can boost your sales. Remember that consumers are becoming more educated about the environmental impact of human activity. Let that value be your label!

In Coffland Corp, we work with the policy of fair trade coffee, which means that we aim to help farmers to engage with environmental techniques for agriculture, so we contribute by making coffee production sustainable. As providers, we guarantee eco-friendly cultivation practices to preserve the lands, their biodiversity, and coffee significant and exquisite flavor, which ultimately can claim higher net returns for your business. Contact us to know more about our services!