Think that organic, fair trade
coffee is the best for the environment? Well, it is, sometimes.
THE GIST
- · Coffee farms can benefit areas by becoming a habitat for wildlife.
- · Even an organic farm can contaminate waterways if the runoff from coffee de-pulping operations isn't contained.
- · Carbon-free coffee is a relatively new addition to the line-up of ethical coffee choices.
March 2, 2012
The coffee industry,
from the farm to the mug, is percolating with change.
While prices remain
high, helping farmers, according to Judith Ganes-Chase, President of J. Ganes
Consulting, a commodities advising company, demand is actually slowing. But not
so for organic and fair trade coffee. Interest in that growing, which holds implications
for the environment.
Organic, shade-grown,
fair trade, and carbon-free beans can reduce some of the negative aspects of
coffee farming, such as deforestation and water contamination. But these
coffees are still a small segment of the market.
And while high prices
have reduced the drive for farmers to get organic certified, the benefits of
blending coffee into the local ecosystem go beyond the organic beans' cash
value.
In its African homeland,
coffee is an understory plant and tends to burn in full sun. Shade-grown coffee
farming integrates coffee into a forest ecosystem, a technique known as
agroforestry. As a variety of trees grow over the shorter coffee bushes, the
coffee farm becomes wildlife habitat. Farmers harvest secondary crops by
planting fruit and nut trees. Nitrogen-fixing trees help infuse the soil with a
vital nutrient and thereby provide free organic fertilizer.
Shade-grown coffee can
be raised completely organically. Organic coffee production eliminates the
pesticides and other agricultural chemicals that can poison workers and
watersheds. But even an organic farm can contaminate waterways if the runoff
from coffee de-pulping operations isn't contained.
It takes farmers 3 years
to get their farm certified organic, in which time they need to learn to fight
bean-boring beetles, like Hypothenemus hampei, with traps
instead of pesticides and fertilize with compost and manure instead of
synthetic fertilizers.
“Generally, it takes
farming organizations between two to 10 months to become Fair Trade Certified,”
said Mary Jo Cook, Chief Impact Officer at Fair Trade USA, an
organization which certifies the ecological and egalitarian credentials of
farmers, distributors, and other businesses.
Fair trade certification
also requires producers to monitor their environmental impact and strike a
balance between profits and the planet, said Mary Jo Cook, Chief Impact Officer
at Fair Trade USA, an
organization which certifies the ecological and egalitarian credentials of
farmers, distributors, and other businesses.
Once the coffee has been
harvested and processed for export, even if it is organic and fairly traded, it
has yet another environmental impact. Transporting a bulky sack of coffee beans
from its tropical home to the caffeine addicted global North takes energy. Most
of that energy comes from fossil fuels and results in greenhouse gas pollution.
Carbon-free coffee is a
relatively new addition to the line-up of ethical coffee choices.
“We have been CarbonFree
Certified since 2008 and were the first coffee roaster in the country to obtain
this certification,” said Kelsey Marshall of Grounds For Change, a purveyor of Earth and worker
friendly coffees.
Grounds for Change uses
Carbonfund.org's reforestation program to balance the greenhouse gas produced
during the production and distribution of coffee.
Every morning, millions
start their days with a coffee. The choice of bean for the brew can make the
morning joe an environmentally and socially responsible beverage or contribute
to ecosystem destruction and the cycle of poverty.
“The more that customers
become aware of these issues and certifications, the more they are inclined to
vote with their dollar,” said Marshall.
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