Most of the coffee that is consumed around the world comes from coffee beans that are grown in Brazil. In fact, Brazil is responsible for producing approximately one-third of all the coffee that is consumed on a global scale. Many people are surprised to learn that Brazil is the leading producer of coffee. It is a country that is most commonly associated with soccer and Carnival. However, the truth is that coffee is a major part of the Brazilian economy and has been for many years. Coffee is a basic staple in many people’s lives. We drink it in the morning, afternoon, and we have come up with an endless variety of ways to enjoy it. Have you ever wondered where the coffee comes from, however? Most of the coffee that is consumed around the world comes from coffee beans that are grown in Brazil. In fact, Brazil is responsible for producing approximately one-third of all the coffee that is consumed on a global scale. Many people are surprised to learn that Brazil is the leading producer of coffee. It is a country that is most commonly associated with soccer and Carnival. However, the truth is that coffee is a major part of the Brazilian economy and has been for many years
Many coffee drinkers are surprised to learn how much effort goes into growing the coffee plant. One of the difficulties is that coffee plants can only grow in a narrow space.
Coffee plants need specific growing conditions to produce fruit. These conditions include things like the composition of the soil, how high up the plant is, and how much rain falls.
Climate overview
Ethiopia, Brazil, and Vietnam together account for more than 60% of all coffee grown. The most important aspect of growing coffee is the climate. Although 50 countries have areas suitable for cultivation, the space is smaller than you may think. Ethiopia, Brazil, and Vietnam together account for more than 60% of all coffee grown.
For example, Brazil dedicates 27,000 square kilometers to growing the crop. Not only is Brazil 3.2 million square kilometers, but they have the largest space for growing coffee.
You can also look at it this way: if you have two cups of coffee per day, that requires 2.8 square feet of space to grow.
A lot of land is necessary to grow, cultivate, and harvest coffee plants and it also has to be done in places where the climate is right to produce the quality of coffee beans that we are all familiar with.
Location
Coffee is grown in the equatorial zone, which is a belt of latitude that lies between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. This zone has the ideal temperature and rainfall to successfully grow coffee plants.
Coffee is grown in many different parts of the world including Brazil, North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Brazil is the largest producer of coffee, but many other areas are close on their heels.
The majority of Arabica and Robusta beans come from Central and South America, with Brazil, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Columbia, and Indonesia being the top producers. Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvadore, Honduras, and Mexico are also significant sources of these beans.
Temperature
The climate near the equator is warm and tropical, which is ideal for coffee plants. They need a temperate environment without any frost. The optimal temperature range for coffee plants is between 64 and 73 degrees, though the plants usually thrive best at temperatures between 67 and 70 degrees.
Maintaining a consistent temperature is important for coffee plants. While some variation is important for the different phases of the plant’s cultivation, too much of a dip or rise can be detrimental.
Sunlight
Sunlight is not only important but also needs to be carefully monitored when it comes to coffee farming. Farmers take care to plant their crops in areas where the coffee beans will not beexposedto full sunlight but instead will have ample sunlight for part of the day with shade for the rest.
Many farmers will grow coffee beans next to other taller plants, so the taller plants will provide natural shade. Another common method is to plant coffee beans on the side of mountains or cliffs so the sun will be blocked for a large portion of the day.
Elevation
Elevation is important for coffee production. experts have said that coffee should be planted at an elevation between 3,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level. This elevation produces a better harvest with more flavorful beans.
Coffee plants that are grown at an elevation of 6,000 feet generally have more subtle notes, such as floral, fruit, caramel, and chocolate. The higher elevation in tropical areas tends to be cooler, with better soil and less direct sunlight, which creates optimal growing conditions.
Soil
Coffee plants require nutrient-rich soil that is moist and well-drained in order to thrive. However, research has shown that coffee does very well when volcanic ash is mixed into the planting soil.
Volcanic rock is typically found in higher elevations. These plants do well in clay and alluvial soil as long as the ground is fertilized and kept moist, but not drenched.
Rain
Control of rainfall becomes more difficult when the distribution of rainfall is irregular. Even in the most temperate climates, rain is harder to control. An annual rainfall of 1 to 1.5 meters spread evenly throughout the year is ideal. The “bean belt” usually has rainfall somewhere close to this amount. When the distribution of rainfall is irregular, controlling rainfall becomes more difficult.
Coffee crops cannot withstand heavy rains for long periods of time, nor can they survive intense droughts. With modern farming techniques, droughts can be dealt with and corrected more easily.
Climate and coffee
According to legend, coffee was discovered at a monastery in the Ethiopian highlands centuries ago. After it was introduced on the Arabian Peninsula, it was actively cultivated and traded before becoming popular in Europe.
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, with people consuming more than 2.25 billion cups a day. It is also one of the most valuable tropical export crops, grown on more than 27 million acres. Most of the world’s coffee is produced by small-scale farmers, and up to 120 million people rely on the coffee industry for their livelihoods.
There is a possibility that coffee production will decrease by 2050 according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). This is supported by other studies which show that rising temperatures have increased coffee-plant pests.
What happens in a warmer climate
The best areas for growing coffee beans are in tropical climates that are neither too hot nor too cold. The coffee belt is a strip of land around the world near the equator where coffee is grown. The biggest coffee producing country in the world is Brazil.
If Earth’s climate continues to warm in the coming decades, it will become more difficult to grow coffee. For example, Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) thrives in temperatures around 73°F (24°C), but if it gets any warmer than that, it will start to die.
If the temperature rises above moderate levels, the ripening process of fruit accelerates. This might not seem like a bad thing, but it actually decreases the quality of coffee beans. If the coffee plant is exposed to temperatures that are up to 86°F, it can damage the plant severely, causing it to stop growing, the leaves to turn yellow, and stem tumors to form.
The latest IPCC report explores the potential impacts of a warming climate on coffee production in the Americas and Africa, which is important to the rural economies of many tropical countries.
The scientists’ forecast of the impacts of climate change on coffee production in Brazil vary depending on the state. They predict that Parana will see a 10% reduction in suitable growing area, Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo will see a drop in suitable cropland from 70-75% of total land area to 20-25%, and Goias will no longer be able to support coffee production.
Although new areas for cultivation would become available in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, these areas would not make up for the losses in other areas.
The IPCC’s findings indicated that coffee-growing regions in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico are expected to experience losses.
The temperature and rainfall in Central America could potentially decrease the coffee-growing area by up to 89% by 2050. Additionally, the minimum altitude for coffee production would need to be raised to 3,300 feet, which is significantly higher than the current minimum altitude of 2,000 feet.
If the minimum altitude for coffee production in Kenya rises from 3,300 to 4,600 feet above sea level, the country could lose suitable cultivation lands in its eastern and (especially) western highlands.
Coffee pests
A 2011 study found that the coffee berry borer, which is a pest that probably originated in central Africa, appeared to be doing better in warmer conditions. The coffee berry borer has spread to all coffee-producing regions in the world except for China and Nepal.
The authors stated that coffee bean damage caused by berry borers was costing more than $500 million annually.
H. hampei’s altitudinal range has recently expanded in Indonesia and Uganda, and in Tanzania the coffee berry borer can now be found 300 meters higher up Mt. Kilimanjaro than it could 10 years ago.
A rise of 1-2 degrees Celsius could lead to an increased number of generations, dispersion and damage by the coffee berry borer. A rise of 2 degrees Celsius or more could lead to the pest shifting its altitudinal and latitudinal distribution.
It has only been two years, but there are already signs that these changes are taking place.
Coffee is also vulnerable to fungal infections called rust. A severe outbreak of coffee rust has been blamed on rising temperatures and extreme rainfall in Central America.
The coffee rust outbreak in 2011 was different from earlier outbreaks because it spread to higher altitudes, affecting more than half of the region’s coffee farming land. This outbreak put some 350,000 residents out of work.
The climate change may have a negative impact on coffee in different ways such as a reduced area for growth, more pests, and deterioration of quality. This could be problematic and expensive for coffee drinkers, but for coffee growers the consequences could be devastating.
A large portion of the world’s coffee production is supported by farmers living just above the poverty line, and many of them rely solely on coffee crops for income. For millions of small farmers, not being able to sell their coffee would cause severe financial strain.
Adaptation and resilience strategies
As farmland suitable for coffee cultivation becomes scarce, some researchers are suggesting shaded plantations as an alternative. Shaded plantations are already being used in some places to protect tropical forests and their biodiversity, and they are also being proposed as a solution to rising temperatures and increasing pests.
Trees that provide shade help protect coffee from extreme weather conditions, and also offer a lot of food for animals that eat insects like the coffee berry borer.
Plant breeders may focus on developing coffee strains that are more resistant to heat.
The Inter-American Development Bank has announced that the complete genome sequence for Coffea arabica has been released into the public domain. This will help speed up the process of selecting plants that can cope with warmer conditions.
Some people are trying to save coffee by returning to its roots. Ethiopia, where coffee comes from, has 95% of the species’ genetic diversity.
More genetic diversity among the plants in a population provides more options for adapting to changing environments.
Climate change may cause the price of coffee to increase and the taste to worsen for billions of people. This could also pose serious economic risks for millions of people worldwide. However, coffee growers are trying to sustain coffee production, which would protect the farmers who supply it, and keep the coffee affordable and enjoyable for consumers.
Researchers are worried
The researchers are concerned that the rapid global warming will have a devastating effect on the coffee bean industry.
As was previously mentioned, coffee beans need to be kept at a temperature between 64 and 73 degrees, anything warmer will cause the beans to start to rot, which will ruin them. Researchers believe that by 2050, the average temperature in the area where coffee beans are grown will be closer to 83 degrees.
When there’s too much heat, it can stop plants from growing, make their leaves turn yellow, damage their seeds, and give them stem tumors that can eventually kill them.
The possibility for increased rain with increased temperatures can reduce the coffee-growing area by 38 to 89 percent by 2050.
Conclusion
It takes a lot of effort and knowledge to grow coffee successfully. The next time you drink a cup of coffee, remember how much work went into making it.