Poor Farmer

Coffee production in parts of East Africa and South America could suffer as climate change drives up the numbers and distribution of a key pest, according to research. And some coffee-growing countries, especially those in Eastern Africa such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, will see production decrease by up to ten per cent compared with a scenario without climate change. Additionally, the soil conditions found in higher altitude areas might not be suitable for coffee production. Study mapping the spread of the berry borer, a major coffee pest, suggests climate change will make its impact more severe and widespread Mercy Adhiambo for   SciDev.net , part of the   Guardian Environment Network guardian.co.uk October 13, 2011 Coffee production in parts of East Africa and South America could suffer as climate change drives up the numbers and distribution of a key pest, according to research. Scientists from the International Centre of Insect Physiology...

"Acting on behalf of the Agricultural Department, I have secured a collection of the seeds of the more important crops peculiar to Ethiopia, a number of which may be found valuable in the exploitation of the uncultivated Western lands of the United States, now being made available by the extension of our irrigation system. I have also in hand material for a report upon the agricultural resources of the empire. "The Agricultural Department was particularly desirous of securing a collection of wild coffee seeds for experimental purposes. These could not be obtained during my visit, but have been ordered, and will be ultimately forwarded. Such a collection could only be found in Kaffa, a remote province of the country, access to which involves a long and expensive journey. "The experts of the Agricultural Department have a theory that the degeneration of the modern plantations is due to the fact that, coffee culture has been based upon seed originally imported from ...

The 24 workers at issue were from Michoacan and were legally brought to the United States to work for Kona Coffee Grounds under the H2-A visa program for temporary agricultural workers. Under the program, growers agree to pay workers a set wage and provide a minimum amount of work as well as housing. The company paid $25,290 in back wages to the workers for those alleged violations of the H2-A. Trotter said it was also fined $21,000 for asking workers to sign a document signing away their rights to back wages should the company be found to violate the rules of the program. By AP via Canadian Business October 12, 2011 HONOLULU (AP) — A Kona coffee grower has paid more than $46,000 in fines and back wages over its treatment of coffee pickers from Mexico following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The department announced the action on Wednesday and hinted that it hopes it sends a message to other growers to follow the rules protecting migrant worke...

ThirdAge October 12, 2011 Coffee may reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to new findings published in Breast Cancer research. A new study carried out by Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute revealed there is a direct correlation between high daily intakes of coffee and developing a sub-type of breast tumor called estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer. Participants included 6,000 Swedish women. Findings indicated women who drank five or more cups of coffee daily lowered their risk of estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer by 57%. However, this study does not prove cause and effect, only that there's a link between drinking coffee and ER-negative breast cancer, researchers noted. Researchers at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania tested antioxidant levels of a variety of foods and found coffee to be the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet, MSNBC reports.  Results suggest antioxidants may play a role in reducin...

Much of the recent growth in the high-end coffee market in New York can be traced to Starbucks. New Yorkers were warming to the idea of sophisticated coffee before the Seattle company entered the city in the mid-1990s, with chains like New World Coffee, Cooper’s Coffee and Oren’s Daily Roast starting to pique the interest of coffee drinkers for a taste beyond watery diner coffee and the traditional “regular” cup from street carts, laden with milk and sugar.  But Starbucks saturated the market, opening up its first New York store in 1994 with plans to have 100 outlets in Manhattan within four years. (There are now nearly 200.) That created a huge market of consumers who would no longer tolerate subpar coffee — but it drove most of the smaller chains out of business. By ALISON GREGOR The New York Times October 11, 2011 Small   coffee   chains, benefiting from lower retail rents and a seemingly bottomless thirst for high-end coffee even in a weak economy, are sei...

By Laura Snider   Daily Camera October 10, 2011 Majka Burhardt was sipping a latte at a coffeehouse in Boulder in the summer of 2006, when she overheard a conversation at a nearby table. The group was plotting a quest to the Horn of Africa to find a rare coffee that's valued at more than $100 a pound. A writer and adventurer herself, Burhardt's curiosity was immediately piqued. And just a few months later -- after asking if the group was in need of a journalist -- Burhardt left with the team as they headed for Ethiopia. Majka Burhardt poses with her book Coffee Story: Ethiopia in the  Ozo Coffee shop in  Boulder where she will give a talk  about her book on  Tuesday Oct 11, 2011 evening. ( PAUL AIKEN via Daily Camera ) Ultimately, the expedition returned home without the coveted bean (the government was a bit concerned what their real motives were), but Burhardt was hooked, both on east Africa and on the mystique of the local coffee...

Ed's Note:   Coffee in Retrospect   is a column prepared by   Coffee Monitor   and   Poor Farmer   blog to provide context for the current global coffee trade situation by republishing news   articles from the past. In this column, we intend to reprint archived prints by converting images into electronic file formats with careful conformity to originals and, whenever applicable and possible, we provide links to the sources of the information. Meanwhile,  responsibility for the contents lies solely with the authors and the views expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect our opinions. ---- US Could Control Coffee Price Rise, Agency Head Says The Milwaukee Journal Feb 2, 1954 Washington, D.C.- (/P) - Joseph M. Mehl, administrator of the commodity exchange authority, told senators Tuesday that his agency could stop "unwarranted" spurts in coffee prices if congress gave him the authority. Mehl said he thought the coffee...