Here at Alta Organic, we deeply care about the planet and strive to do our part to combat global warming and support local and organic businesses. Over the next couple of months, we will be featuring articles that talk about coffee, coffee farming and ways they are fighting to combat global warming. In this issue, we'll talk about biodiversity and coffee in Latin America.
During Fall, fair weather birds of the United States leave in droves for Mexico and Central America in search of a patch of forest in which to sit out the harsh winter until the next breeding season. Unfortunately, less and less forest awaits them every year due to clearing. As little as 10% of the original forest cover remains in some Latin American countries, so many birds have sought refuge in the next best thing: coffee farms. Traditional coffee farms to be more exact.
In traditional coffee farms the shade tolerant coffee shrubs are grown beneath a canopy of native forest trees intermingled with fruit trees and other plants. A wide range of migratory birds such as tanagers, orioles, warblers, and vireos as well as year round residents such as parrots, toucans, trogons and woodpeckers (few of which actually eat coffee berries) find this environment attractive. The number of bird species supported by traditional coffee farms is sometimes only exceeded in undisturbed tropical forests.
The ecologically diverse coffee farms also benefit farms economically by providing a variety of products for local consumption and sale, plus some insurance if coffee prices are low. Costs for the farmers are reduced too as the virtually self-sustaining ecosystem requires no pesticides, fungicides, or synthetic fertilizers. These are supplanted by such phenomena as natural predation of insects by the diverse animal life, a mulching leaf litter that reduces evaporation, erosion and weed growth and a protective canopy that buffers against drying winds and eroding rain. Shade trees can provide another income source for some farmers who replace old shade trees and sell them as lumber or turn them into furniture to sell. Some bird-friendly trees are not only good for birds but beneficial to the farmers as well. Bird friendly trees can absorb nitrogen in the air and transfer it to the soil making it more fertile. And by inviting more birds to the coffee farms, producers are getting pest control services in return.
Despite these advantages these seemingly safe havens are becoming scarce as many farmers converted to modernized coffee farms. This process started in the early 1970's as coffee farmers began to adopt modern methods that relied on new, high yield, densely packed coffee plants. These dwarf plants are usually grown in evenly spaced rows in full sun, nurtured with synthetic fertilizers and protected against attack by an array of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.
Seduced by the higher yields and, initially at least, protection against a fungal pest known as leaf rust, many farmers willingly dismantled their traditional farms along with the overstory and replanted modern, full sun coffee plant varieties. At the same time they exposed bare soils to rain, sun and wind. The results have been increased erosion, polluted run-off, a substantial reduction in wildlife habitat, and increased exposure of workers to hazardous chemicals. These modern "technified" farms reportedly suffer significantly more soil erosion than farms with shade trees, especially on steep slopes where coffee is commonly grown in Latin America. Overall the conversion from shade to full sun coffee renders coffee farms useless for wildlife.
Here at Alta we only sell organic shade grown coffee beans which benefits our customers, helps birds and other insects, and is good for the environment and coffee farm workers - a win-win. Next time you are sipping on your cup of Alta, you can feel good knowing you are drinking coffee with a good conscience.
