With climate change, what will happen to our industry?

Q&A
1

Hey ya’ll! My name is Emily. I am a coffee roaster and am also earning my master’s degree in agronomy through the University of Florida, where I am studying the agroecology of coffee production. I know that on this forum the primary focus is on the final steps of the coffee chain, but I thought with all of the passion for this industry here you guys might be interested in learning more about my master’s research into opportunities for climate change mitigation for coffee farmers.

Did you guys know that with the onslaught of climate change, fluctuating temperatures and variable rainfall could drastically reduce coffee production? Once 2015 study even suggests that up to half of all land currently suitable for growing coffee could become unsuitable. Imagine what that would do to our industry, not to mention the livelihoods of farmers all over the world.

What I’m doing with my research is taking a look at how different varietals respond differently to changed environmental conditions. I’ll be planting my field site (essentially a mini experimental coffee farm) this summer at 1850 masl near Santa Maria de Dota, Costa Rica, and have been working closely with local agronomists and farmers to develop a project that is meaningful and useful for their community. I’d love to share my work with you all and get your feedback! Please check out www.experiment.com/coffeeandclimate to learn more about what I’m up to and why. And please also feel free to share the link if you find it interesting!

I think that this is a dialogue that we in the last steps of the industry should keep on having to be able to keep on doing what we love. I would love to hear from you all what you think we can do to defend the specialty coffee industry from the heaviest impact of climate change.

Thanks so much, everyone! Cheers to you.

-Emily

3 Likes
2

Hi Emily,

My name is Max. As a coffee person, this is a question I’ve been asking myself for quite some time now. I’m trying to compile a collection of as much research regarding coffee sustainability and climate change as quickly as possible. This is something that few coffee professionals are prioritizing in the pursuit of their craft, and it’s inspiring to find people like you who are also worried by the idea that the world’s precious coffees might go away. Thank you so much for asking this question. I’ve found your crowd-funding campaign and I will be spreading the link around. If you get a chance, could you email me at maxwelljberry@gmail.com to discuss some of your findings? Again, thank you so much for caring about this. We need more people like you.