#coffeerust

If you are one of those people who need their cup of Joe before you get going every morning, then you might be in trouble in the near future. This international coffee day, Starbucks decided to expand their initiative from last year – “One tree for every bag” of coffee purchased to “donate a coffee tree for every cup of Mexico Chiapas brewed coffee” this year. These coffee plants are being distributed to those farmers who have been impacted by coffee rust in the continent of South America.

As you all may know, Columbia is the second largest supplier of the Arabica followed by Brazil. In the year 2013, Guatemala grew 40 % less coffee than its usual production due to the unusual spread of coffee rust. Coffee rust is a fungus and its effects on the coffee plants are devastating. In the few years, Coffee rust started from a very isolated range of fungus to a full-fledged disease of the plants capable of crossing continents and rendering the coffee plants worthless. This has led many of the farmers to immigrate and sought out other forms of livelihood and others to plunge into poverty.

The donated plants can be of great help to the farmers but, we also have to know that it takes 3 to 5 years for the coffee plants to start harvesting and in these 3 to 5 years, these farmers have no other source of income to live on.

“We smallholder farmers have difficulty accepting that we have to remove the coffee plant because we feel that they are taking away a part of us, a piece of us.” — quotes José Luis Mateo Mendoza a coffee farmer in Guatemala.

The drastic increase in coffee rust is due to climate change. Higher temperatures and long droughts followed by intense rainfall play a crucial part in coffee plantation growth.

Climate change is affecting our life and it has affected the small farmer’s life. It is impacting the way the product is produced. It’s becoming more expensive and more difficult. And with every year passing their job gets harder. The product might become scantier and may even disappear at the end. All this is because of Climate change.

I do appreciate Starbucks initiative to try and help out the farmers. But is there more we can do, other than just handing out plants and sympathize about these coffee farmers. I believe we can.

Buy fair trade and ethically sourced coffee:

‘Poorly compensated farmers are good for business’ is the thought of every international coffee giant which is wrong. In the long run, this unstable and low-paying market would deter the farmers from choosing coffee farming. Unlike this, Fair-trade coffee farmers earn a 20 cent premium for every pound of coffee and an additional 30 cents per pound if certified organic. Fair trade provides stability to volatile markets and thus helps in the livelihood of the farmers during crisis situations

One cup at a time:

Every time you pay a visit to your favorite coffee shop, bring a reusable cup of your own. Cutting down on disposable cups would reduce deforestation and thus reduce climate change. Also remember that coffee chains offer a 10 cent discount every time you bring in your own cup.

Donate to the cause:

There are many nonprofit organizations such as CoffeeKids and De la Genta who are trying to reach out to the coffee farmers and helping them develop sustainable solutions in coffee farming. They are also strengthening the community and helping them network with small businesses to cut off the money mongering middlemen and enable direct trade.

Advocate for climate change:

Climate change can drastically reduce coffee production globally. Choosing renewable energy sources and conserving energy not only helps the coffee industry but also the long-term survival of the human race.

Is it possible that coffee could be no more in 40 years time?

Extreme weather patterns are affecting your favourite beverage. Andrew Hetzel of Coffee Industry Advisors, spoke to The Weather Network about coffee rust and how it’s hurting production.

“There’s a large outbreak of coffee rust in Central America. This is a result of changes in weather. There was a critical time in 2012 when we had some unusually heavy rains in Central America which caused the fungus to bloom and grow at an accelerated rate.” Hetzel then went onto explain that this period was immediately followed by dry weather with strong winds. This allowed the rust to become airborne. The spores then travelled to higher elevations ruining coffee that had previously been untouched by the fungus. Once the fungus hits the plant the damage is irreversible. Hetzel did comment that pesticides can be used to avoid damage but come with a large price tag.

Across Central America production is down an average of 20%. But , some individual countries, like Nicaragua, are sustaining heavy damage of more than 70%. How will this affect North America though?

Hetzel commented, “There are two ways that North Americans are going to experience this affect. One is higher prices. Coffee is fairly under priced anyways, so really this is not the big issue. The bigger problem is more the quality. When plants are affected by the rust, the coffee they produce is not as sweet and there is the potential that some unique types of coffee may become extinct.” This will impact North America but the bigger problems are down south.

“The problem is, we are finding with temperature change as well as changes in rainfall, some places are just not able to grow coffee and that is a huge problem for availability of the crop and economically for communities to survive.”

Brian Khan from Climate Central in New York has been following the coffee story and also pointed out that the communities growing this crop are the ones in economic danger.

“People living in Central America need these coffee crops to survive, we have to think about the livelihood of these people, they depend on coffee to support their lifestyles. I was reading recently that food security in central America is a problem because of decreased coffee crops. There is now just less money to go around.”

Some people in Central America used to live in perfect coffee growing conditions, but with the changes in weather and extreme weather patterns, their ability to grow coffee is no more. They are now faced with the decision to move to where coffee crops can still be successful or change their own lifestyles.

While the rust is a huge problem for coffee, so is drought. Hetzel and Khan both commented about the drought in Brazil and how this is a significant loss in coffee production as Brazil produces the most coffee.

“The original forecast numbers predicted for Brazil at the beginning of this growing season was around 55 million bags (60kg each) total, including Arabica and a small percentage of Robusta. Now that’s somewhere around 45-48 million,” says Hetzel.

An estimated $1 billion worth of damages have occurred throughout Latin America on account of 'coffee rust.' As agricultural coffee farmers suffer, the coffee prices begin to naturally rise to cover the costs of damages. Coffee beans are the single most important agricultural export in the world today, accounting for greater profit than any other agricultural industry. People all over the world depend on coffee to wake up and stay energized throughout the day.

Because of the global dependence on coffee, the 'coffee rust' fungus is even more unfortunate. Until it can be remedied, coffee prices will continue to rise. This will make it increasingly difficult for low-income individuals to access coffee like they once could. Fortunately, as with any plant disease, there are solutions. The United States government has agreed to step forth and assist Latin American farmers in combatting this insidious disease.

The U.S. Government has partnered with Texas A&M University's World Coffee Research in hopes of finding a cure. The U.S. Government has contributed $5 million to the cause in order to help find a cure. The unfortunate part about the fungus is that it is highly contagious, which makes it difficult for farmers' to contain. The spores are airborne and can affect nearby fields rapidly.

In the next few years, scientists have predicted that the coffee industry will have to scale back production by as much as 40%. This will result in coffee bean scarcity, as well as nearly 500,000 lost jobs. Coffee, being the primary agricultural export, is integral to local economies due to the jobs it provides and the profit it creates. The 'coffee rust' fungus has had devastating effects on local economies throughout Latin America, and will continue to negatively impact their economies until a solution is found.