Report: Climate Change Adaptation Plans Are Working for Coffee Producers

Daily Coffee News photo by Nick Brown.

A new report commissioned by Fairtrade International and co-funded by the European Union found that coffee producers are leading producers in other agricultural sectors in planning for climate change, though data remains scarce.

The study found generally positive results for coffee producer organizations with climate change adaptation plans — referred to as CCAPs — in place. Benefits included improved soil health and yields with less fertilizer dependance, and better resilience to drought and disease. Additional benefits were better peer-to-peer learning among coffee farmers and producers, and increased farm reinvestments.

The five leading strategies in place in existing CCAPS among coffee farmers were: planting resistant crop varieties; pruning and shade management; improving soil health; efficient water use and integrated pest management.

“CCAPs are bringing about positive changes,” the report’s authors wrote. “By creating greater awareness and knowledge among farmers of climate change impacts and adaptation options, investment in the implementation of these measures has increased both at [producer organization] and farmer level. Some [producer organizations] report that coffee plants are more resilient and better yielding thanks to these measures. Better data collection and monitoring is required to be able to evaluate these changes as ‘impacts.'”

However, on a more concerning note, the study said that existing CCAPs do not sufficiently address the kinds of “systemic” or “transformational” changes that climate change may dictate in the long run. The authors said CCAPs generally will “require more radical changes both to production systems and the institutions supporting them.”

Studies have shown that climate change is currently affecting coffee production, while promising to dramatically reshape the global map of where coffee can be grown. The new Fairtrade report also comes against the backdrop of the European Union deforestation-free supply chains law (EUDR), which is expected to come into force next year after a one-year delay.

Using surveys that resulted in primarily anecdotal evidence, the Fairtrade study also discovered a lack of quality baseline data regarding agricultural CCAPs.

Additionally, it should be noted that only a fraction of producer organizations across all acrigultural sectors replied. Of the 369 producer organizations within Fairtrade’s network, 37 provided survey replies. A total of six CCAPs from coffee producers — three in Latin America and three in Africa — were analyzed in the study.

“The sustainability of the CCAPs over the longer term will require continuous training, external expert guidance to lead participatory processes, as well as access to financial resources, in particular so [producer organizations] and farmers can invest in more technological and infrastructure-related adaptation measures, as well as for adequate data collection and monitoring practices,” the authors wrote.

Find the complete Fairtrade report and associated documents here.

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