Furthermore, all species that were captured in nearby forests were also captured in shade coffee sites, where we also found evidence that several threatened, forest-dwelling specialist birds were likely breeding. Forest sites did have a much higher relative abundance of forest specialist species. Nonetheless, our study documents the only known location where all forest understory bird species recorded in nearby forest were also recorded on shade coffee farms.
Retaining shade cover on coffee farms helps to preserve insect- and nectar-eating birds. In turn, these species provide important ecosystem services —- that is, free services provided to humans by controlling insect pests and pollinating crops. Our results show that shade coffee farms in Ethiopia harbor a diverse and abundant insect-eating bird community that may provide similar ecosystem services.
Such ecosystem services could vastly improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. Portsmouth Climate Festival — Portsmouth, Portsmouth. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom.
Become an author Sign up as a reader Sign in. Evan R. While this image of shade-grown coffee is a romantic one, especially for those of us actively imagining how sustainable agriculture should look, farmers are not likely to change their systems unless it makes sense financially. No previous study has quantified the economic trade-offs a smallholder farmer would experience in shifting from conventional coffee-growing to shade-grown.
Hernandez-Aguilera and his colleagues developed a model to evaluate the financial costs and benefits for farmers. They examined a number of factors, including the cost of planting new trees, the price premiums that coffee consumers are willing to pay, and the potential yields farmers could see. The model suggests that farmers can optimize their coffee profits by converting percent of their acreage to shade-grown production. Coffee is also an important crop in many of the developing countries in which IRI is currently working.
For more about this study and the methods used, check out this video below, produced by Living Bird magazine and Cornell Lab of Ornithology:.
This blog post was originally published by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society. There is plenty of shade grown coffee in Coorg in southern india. The results are extraordinary robusta and arabica. These researchers need to come here and see for themselves. I am a food and travel writer and also run Farmers Mkts ad events throughout india,. Shade coffee farms are, for the most part, organic and sustainable.
Most varieties of coffee are naturally intolerant of direct sunlight, and prefer a canopy of sun-filtering shade trees.
The trees not only protect the coffee from direct sun, they also mulch the soil with their fallen leaves which helps retain soil moisture. The nitrogen-fixing shade trees enhance the soil, and also provide habitat for birds. The birds in turn provide natural insect control with their constant foraging. This sustainable method of farming uses little or no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.
In , new hybrid varieties of coffee were developed to help increase production of the valuable crop. These new varieties produced significantly more coffee beans, were smaller and easier to harvest, and produced best in direct sunlight.
Many growers cut their shade trees and switched to the new varieties. Only the small, low-tech farms, often too poor to afford chemicals, preserved their shade trees. Soil erosion, water runoff, and soil depletion caused producers to clear vast tracts of rainforest for new soil to plant, and it became apparent that this new method of growing coffee was unsustainable.
The diminished songbird population has been noted as far away as miles from the coffee growing regions. The only way to encourage shade grown coffee farming is to buy the product.
Production follows demand, and many farmers are switching back to shade grown methods as consumer awareness increases. Although more expensive than regular coffee, there is far less cost to the environment.
Shade Grown Coffee How carefully choosing your next cup of java could benefit the birds. Read Guide. Enjoy your morning cup of coffee on the patio and listen to the songbirds.
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