The Coffee Cup

Traditionally, almost all shade grown coffee. The coffee plant in its natural state is not very tolerant of direct sunlight, and thus most coffee plants grow best in the shade of a canopy of trees. In an ideal environment would be the leaves from an imminent break down into compost and soil, creating a rich, moist soil where the coffee plants thrive. In addition, above the trees provide a home for native birds that eat many insects which would otherwise threaten the coffee plants. Coffee grown in this type of environment would need little to no fertilizers or pesticides to grow, but it would be pretty good on their own.

In 1972, scientists developed a new hybrid type of coffee plant. This new plant boasted a much larger crop of beans than traditional coffee plants, and also was the crop easier to harvest because the plant remains small. Soon, coffee farms around the world would convert to the new hybrid plant. In turn, coffee farms cut down their native forests to direct sunlight for the hybrid coffee plants. Of the approximately 6 million hectares of coffee-producing country in the world, it is estimated that 60% of the land has been harvested since 1972 as a result of hybrid plants Sun coffee.

The loss of forest for coffee plantations has created many problems. First of all migratory birds that dwelt in these trees no longer have a habitat. It is estimated that the population of migratory birds has declined 20% over the past decade, mainly due to loss of habitat. The lack of trees not only disturb the birds. It has a direct impact on the entire ecosystem of an area. A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that shade coffee plantations support a large number of other species of animals and insects. For example, the study noted that a tree on a shade coffee farm in Costa Rica was home to 27 different species of ants and 126 species of beetles. When the shade trees disappear, so do other animals and insects, upsetting the fragile balance of the natural ecosystem.

Another problem with sun grown coffee is the enormous amount of synthetic chemicals needed to grow it. Because there are not many native birds that eat insects, pesticides are required to keep the insect population down. Sun coffee plants are also treated with chemical fertilizer, since there is roof of trees present to provide organic matter that would naturally enrich the soil. Furthermore, plantations growing coffee, Sun also rely on the use of herbicides to keep down the weeds that grow in the increased sunlight (shade coffee plantations do not have so many problems with weeds, because weeds do not grow well in shady conditions that favor the coffee plants).

All these chemicals needed to grow hybrid plants Sun coffee creates an enormous amount of runoff, which poisons downstream waterways due to runoff and threatens the health of workers on coffee plantations. The lack of trees has also created serious soil erosion problems. It has become clear that this type of coffee farming is not sustainable.

Traditional shade growing, however, is a self-sufficient and sustainable production systems. It promotes increased biodiversity and requires little or no fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Smithsonian Institute’s Center of passage (smbc) is working to raise awareness and promote shade grown coffee through a certification process. Look for coffee phenomenon smbc’s “Bird Friendly” seal of approval, or if you can not find such coffees, simply look for those who enter the shade grown conditions.

The only way to solve this problem is by demand. Any purchase of shade grown coffee helps restore natural shade grown coffee farming methods. Ornithologists and coffee drinkers unite, and buy only shade grown coffee!