{"id":7686,"date":"2024-06-28T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T15:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=7686"},"modified":"2024-06-28T08:01:44","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T15:01:44","slug":"with-global-coffee-production-under-threat-farmers-seek-new-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2024\/06\/28\/with-global-coffee-production-under-threat-farmers-seek-new-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"With Global Coffee Production Under Threat, Farmers Seek New Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An interesting report that shows some reasons for coffee prices rising. Arabica beans are the best and most flavorable, with Robusta making up some of the store brands though good in blends with Arabica for espresso. This article is the first I’ve heard of a hybrid between Arabica and Robusta, Castillo. Consequently, I order the green beans and roast it myself<\/a>, and my Ethiopian origin coffees from small farms has already gone up about 25%. And the many coffee shops are going to have to raise their prices, and they are already quite expensive, not to mention most have over roasted coffee for shelf life that is terrible (like Charbucks). Also, coffee starts losing flavor after 7 days, so fresh roasted coffee is quite important, and the link above has my article on coffee roasting at home and why you not only get a tastier product, but it is healthier as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/global-coffee-production-under-threat-as-farmers-seek-new-solutions-5672315?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=TheLibertyDaily<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Coffee plantations face threats from bugs, plagues, and genetic fragility\u2014putting America\u2019s annual consumption of 1.6 billion pounds of coffee at risk.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

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(Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock, Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Autumn Spredemann<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen Alvarez looks down at a five-year-old coffee plant and frowns. She points to the wide brown spots afflicting some of the leaves and says \u201cAshes are good for [dealing with] the plagues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Alvarez and her husband Francisco Mamani have been working with coffee plants near Bolivia\u2019s Amboro National Park for 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that time, they\u2019ve had their fair share of environmental setbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coffee has always been a fragile plant that requires specific microclimates to thrive. Controlling fungal diseases and pests are just part of the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most growers within the world\u2019s \u201ccoffee belt\u201d nations are well-versed in dealing with these problems\u2014every season brings a different challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one of the most traded commodities in the world, the global coffee market was valued at $138 billion last year, according to Expert Market Research. FairTrade says the industry employs roughly 125 million people in at least 70 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the United States, coffee represents 2.2 million jobs and creates more than $100 billion in wage revenue, according to the National Coffee Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Alvarez said both the wet and dry seasons are becoming less predictable, most noticeably since a few years ago. Consequently, infestations and diseases affecting coffee are now becoming harder to predict and more difficult to mitigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Alvarez family, which runs both a plantation and the coffee roasting company Buenavisteno, isn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The increasing struggle to bring in a healthy crop of coffee \u201ccherries\u201d is part of a larger pattern affecting the world\u2019s producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As weather and seasons become more erratic, diseases have become more widespread, threatening the future of growers everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fungal disease known in the industry as coffee leaf rust is one of the primary blights that affects coffee\u2014particularly the Arabica strains\u2014and spreads like a pathogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dreaded coffee leaf rust was detected for the first time in Saudi Arabia, a country that had harbored one of the few remaining coffee regions free of the disease, according to a study published<\/a> in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presence of coffee leaf rust was observed for the first time in August 2023 on plantations in the mountainous Fyfa district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area lies within the heart of Saudi Arabia\u2019s coffee production region in Jazan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States imports 200,000 60-kilogram (132-pound) bags of roast and ground coffee per year from the Middle Eastern nation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the compounding effect of increased disease and insects, along with shifting weather patterns, one study<\/a> in the journal \u201cScience\u201d estimates that 60 percent of all coffee species are at risk of extinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this isn\u2019t the first time scientists have identified<\/a> coffee as being at risk of extinction due to evolving and shifting climates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One study from 2012 noted that wild Arabica strains\u2014known for having the best taste\u2014could be extinct \u201cwell before\u201d the end of this century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, the United States consumes 1.62 billion pounds of coffee per year, according to data<\/a> compiled by Cafely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"image-5675928\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A barista pours a cup of coffee at Colson Patisserie in New York City on Feb. 22, 2016. The United States consumes 1.62 billion pounds of coffee per year, according to Cafely. (Bryan Thomas\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facing a Triple Threat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some in the industry predict a significant loss in coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cResearch shows that the number of regions best suited for growing coffee will be cut in half over the course of the next 25 years or so,\u201d Amanda Archila, executive director of Fairtrade America, told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organization says it works with more than 2 million farmers worldwide, giving it a finger on the pulse of coffee producers\u2019 struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Archila said countries such as Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Colombia are especially affected by changing temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor coffee farmers, that means a dramatic change in how they farm\u2014or whether they farm at all,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome may choose to grow crops better suited to the new environment. Some may relocate. Some may abandon farming altogether in search of more stable, profitable jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we certainly know is that already unstable livelihoods are at stake, with families and communities all around the world on the line,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ms. Archila said Fairtrade-certified farmers in Colombia have reported serious problems with irregular rainfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are waiting months for rainfall. The sun is so hot that it is drying out their wells and there isn\u2019t enough water to irrigate crops quickly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlants are smaller and thinner than they used to be, and pests and diseases are spreading more easily.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thriving in humid, tropical climates, coffee plants naturally require a lot of water. However, too much can be just as damaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavy rains, especially during the dry season, can lead to erosion, and soil nutrient loss, and leave saturated root systems prone to disease and rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges aside, some have no intention of giving up on their multi-generational farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Alvarez said her family is getting creative with solutions for the plagues afflicting their coffee production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe prepare different products to cure and protect from the diseases,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One type of insect Mrs. Alvarez described is what she called a \u201cminer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"image-5675925\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"image-5675927\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"image-5675930\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(Top) A coffee producer inspects plants on his farm in Barva, Costa Rica, on Aug. 25, 2015. (Bottom Left) A coffee plant infested with the coffee-eating fungus roya on the Barva farm. (Bottom Right) Coffee beans affected by coffee berry borer on a farm in Hanbal village, India, on Jan. 29, 2024. (Ezequiel Becerra\/AFP via Getty Images, Abhishek Chinnappa\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bug burrows into the coffee plants, killing it as efficiently as coffee leaf rust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the wet and dry seasons around her farm were stable, it was easy to predict and control the \u201cminers.\u201d They were part of the seasons, just like the rains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, with the drastic swings in rainfall and temperatures around Amboro National Park, she said the insect attacks have become a daily battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then there\u2019s what she called the \u201cdamping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamping is a plague. It\u2019s not like a beetle that we can see and kill. It\u2019s just crazy weather. It rains when it\u2019s not supposed to or it\u2019s cold when it\u2019s supposed to be warm. It\u2019s very difficult to protect the plants,\u201d Mrs. Alvarez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201cdamping\u201d is used throughout the region of Buena Vista to describe the effect of sudden, erratic weather changes on coffee plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Alvarez said it takes a heavy toll on saplings younger than one year, but noticed that longer periods of extreme weather are starting to affect well-established plants five years and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt affects the neck [stem] of the coffee. It makes the plant dry out faster,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked how she handles the \u201cdamping,\u201d she said they\u2019re still trying different methods. So far, she observed that wood ashes work well for plants that get sick from wild weather changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond ashes, Mrs. Alvarez explained her family also uses laundry soap, lime, and sulfur to battle fungal diseases and pests. \u201cThat\u2019s also why we plant Castillo [coffee], it\u2019s more resistant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"image-5675931\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Carmen Alvarez holds a pan of roasted Castillo coffee beans in Buena Vista, Bolivia, on June 11, 2024. (Cesar Calani for The Epoch Times)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specialty Breeding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of the more than 100 species of coffee, they all come from one of two families: Arabica or Robusta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arabica varieties are famed for their flavor profile and generally contain more caffeine than their Robusta counterparts. Some coffee-growing regions focus on cultivating strictly Arabica coffee due to the high quality of the beans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Premium Picks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But the source of the taste offered by famous Arabica strains like Typica, Heirloom, and Bourbon is also part of the problem: A lack of genetic diversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All pure Arabica varieties have this problem, making them far more fragile and prone to environmental challenges than their Robusta cousins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A study published in \u201cNature\u201d in April identified<\/a> the low genetic diversity of Arabica strains as a hurdle to its survival, stating the \u201cnarrow genetic basis of both cultivated and wild modern Arabica constitutes a major drawback, as well as an obstacle for its breeding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the study\u2019s authors, Patrick Descombes, noted: \u201cCoffee is not a crop that has been heavily crossbred, such as maize or wheat, to create new varieties. People mainly chose a variety they liked and then grew it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo the varieties we have today have probably been around for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why coffee-breeding programs are now being developed to increase genetic variance and create more \u201cclimate-resilient\u201d coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robusta varieties are naturally hardier and more resilient to fungal infections and pests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the newer coffee species being used in countries with small-scale production, such as Bolivia, are Arabica-Robusta hybrids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the case with Castillo, the variety Mrs. Alvarez grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an Arabica-Robusta hybrid that she claimed has quickly gained popularity with growers around her hometown of Buena Vista.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Castillo was developed<\/a> over five generations in Colombia and is now one of the most common species of coffee produced in the country. It\u2019s widely known for good crop yields and is resistant to coffee leaf rust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Left) A man tosses coffee beans in the air to separate the beans from the twigs in Guatemala. (Right) A selection of coffee beans from Arabia, Medellin (Colombia), Brazil, Maracaibo (Venezuela), Guatemala, and Haiti, in 1950. (Pictorial Parade\/Archive Photos\/Getty Images, Archive Photos\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specialty roasters consider Arabica-Robusta hybrid strains like Castillo to be lower in quality, but Mrs. Alvarez disagrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She believes the way coffee is roasted is just as important as genetics when it comes to giving coffee a great flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She held up a pan of freshly roasted beans and said: \u201cThis is Castillo. Its flavor is very good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the survival challenges coffee faces there\u2019s evidence the plant has weathered major global climate shifts in the distant past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modeling used by researchers<\/a> at the University at Buffalo shows that Arabica coffee, which originated in Ethiopia, survived a period of \u201clow population\u201d between 20,000 and 100,000 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This roughly overlaps a period of extended drought and cooler climate conditions that hit the same part of Africa between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While that may be a comfort for coffee lovers in the long run, Ms. Archila says consumers can expect near-term price hikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can look at the current cocoa price spike for clues as to what is likely to happen in the coffee supply chain,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCocoa farmers are struggling with low crop yields. Now, traders and big multinational food companies are paying the highest prices for cocoa in history and looking to other ingredients to create chocolate products with less cocoa. And shoppers are feeling this impact on their wallets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Bank\u2019s beverage price index hit a 13-year high in February, largely fueled by the soaring prices of cocoa and robusta coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another commodities analysis by InvestingHaven predicts<\/a> the price of coffee will double by 2025 due, in part, to supply and demand factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in Bolivia, Mrs. Alvarez and other coffee growers near Buena Vista are doing their best to be creative with the environmental curve balls thrown at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a sigh and a shrug, she said: \u201cWe’ll just have to adapt and try new things.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An interesting report that shows some reasons for coffee prices rising. Arabica beans are the best and most flavorable, with Robusta making up some of the store brands though good in blends with Arabica for espresso. This article is the first I’ve heard of a hybrid between Arabica and Robusta, Castillo. Consequently, I order the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7686"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7688,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7686\/revisions\/7688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}