Coffee Growing Practices: the Good, the Bad and the Difference

"Eating is a political act," wrote Alice Waters, the renowned California restaurateur. Every food choice has an impact-on the environment and on those who grow and process what we eat. Surely that includes coffee, too. Coffee can be grown in ways that hurt the environment or in ways that help it, and in ways that hurt communities or help them.

In recent years, conscientious people in the coffee industry and beyond have tried to develop ways to identify and reward good practices in coffee-producing countries. These issues aren't always clear cut, and labels like "fair trade" and "shade grown" can mask complicated realities, but let's look more closely at their good intentions.

Fair Trade: The purpose of Fair Trade certification is to help lift coffee growers out of poverty, to improve their working conditions, and to encourage environmentally sound farming. Farmer co-ops are guaranteed a good minimum price for their coffee, with premiums for organic product. A third-party certifier verifies that the co-op operates democratically, provides safe conditions for workers, farms in a responsible manner and invests in the community. But Fair Trade certification indicates nothing about coffee quality.

Shade Grown: In most locations, coffee trees prefer a shady habitat with only a couple of hours of direct sun each day. They do well in filtered light, part of the lush understory beneath taller native trees and plants. Coffee trees have evolved to thrive in that ecosystem, fertilized by decomposing forest litter and protected from insects by natural predators. Shade-grown coffee needs few chemical inputs.

In the early 1970s, plant researchers introduced new coffee hybrids that tolerate sun and produce higher yields. Hoping for more profit, many growers made the switch. They cut down forests, destroying habitat for birds and other wildlife, and planted the new sun lovers. Their yields went up, but so did their use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Organizations promoting shade-grown coffee are trying to preserve wildlife habitat and to minimize chemical use in coffee farming. It's important to know, however, that in some particularly rainy locations, coffee trees do better in sun. Grown in shade, they would be more disease prone.

Organic: Certified organic coffee is available for those who are concerned about the health and environmental impact of chemical use. These coffees tend to fetch a premium because of the costs involved in certification and in rewarding farmers for the extra effort involved.

C.A.F.E. Practices: Starbucks Coffee Company has its own system for recognizing and rewarding producers of high-quality coffee grown with sustainable methods. The company's C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity) Practices address both social and environmental issues, and suppliers are encouraged to follow these guidelines. A third party certifies those in compliance. Starbucks now buys more than half of its coffee from C.A.F.E. Practices participants. The company also pays a premium to suppliers who invest in social or environmental projects in their communities, such as building a bridge to help farmers get their coffee to the mill, or taking steps to prevent erosion.

The Starbucks effort is just one example of how coffee-industry leaders are using their buying power as a force for positive change.

Recipe links:
Caribbean Shrimp Tropical Salad With Lime Vinaigrette