To safeguard a secure future for coffee production, the wider industry needs to address and overcome an ever-growing number of interconnected challenges. From the climate crisis to rising migration levels to ageing farmer populations, finding straightforward solutions is far from easy.
Coffee associations and research organisations often focus on developing and investing in varieties that are high-yielding and resistant to pests and diseases. Recently, Nestlé announced its new Star 4 arabica variety that was specifically selected for its resilience, large bean size, and flavour profile, as one example of many.
Disseminating stronger and hardier varieties to producers is, of course, valuable, but it’s only one solution. If specialty coffee wants to ensure its sustainable future, it needs to start from the ground up.
Ana María Schmidt, owner and manager of Finca Montealegre in El Salvador provides her insight on why taking a more holistic approach is more important than ever.
You may also likeour article on whether specialty coffee needs to show more interest in robusta.
Why coffee variety will always be important
Climate-proofing the coffee industry has been a longstanding endeavour, especially as the effects of global warming become increasingly prevalent. One of the most recent studies published in PLOS Climate in 2023 found that rising temperatures caused by the climate crisis are likely to lead to “ongoing systemic shocks” to coffee production.
Some of the most obvious consequences of this would be lower yields and dwindling supplies that would only exacerbate price volatility – which has worsened over the past few years.
Research organisations and associations have long worked with producers to implement various climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. One of the most common is to develop and invest in more resilient, high-yielding arabica varieties that can adapt to different environmental conditions.
This practice is nothing new. Many research centres breed new hybrid varieties for distribution among producers in a particular region or country to address a number of climate and economic-related challenges, such as leaf rust disease (or la roya). The goal is to increase plants’ resilience to pests and diseases, as well as to improve yields and quality.
In 2023, Starbucks announced it has developed six climate-resistant varieties at its Hacienda Alsacia research centre in Costa Rica. More recently in July 2024, World Coffee Research had identified four F1 hybrid varieties to use in pre-commercial trials that would help producers “tackle the challenges of coffee production in the 21st century”.
Companies and organisations like Starbucks and WCR will continue to invest in these projects, and they have an important role to play in the industry. Arabica has been on the IUCN Red List as an endangered species since 2019, while research from 2020 found that robusta is “highly sensitive” to temperature, which makes it less climate-resilient than previously believed.
Overcoming challenges requires a more holistic approach
As the coffee industry continues to face the climate crisis, price volatility, and supply chain issues, finding solutions which take a more transformative approach has become even more important. In turn, focusing solely on finding “the” variety is not the answer. If we are to continue developing new hardy and higher-yielding coffee plants, it must be part of a much wider strategy.
Ana María Schmidt is the owner and manager of Finca Montealegre – an organic certified coffee farm in El Salvador. She emphasises that because every farm has its own ecosystem, planting new varieties may not always lead to results that producers expect.
“Every farm is different,” she says. “Soil and microclimate can vary widely, even across a single farm, so it’s important to understand which varieties are better suited to different conditions. Every farm needs to run like a business, and it’s better to adapt existing varieties first before experimenting with new ones.”
With this in mind, adopting a more holistic approach is key. As an industry, if we want producers to be able to invest back into their farms and secure a more stable future, we need to understand how different aspects of farms are interconnected.
Regenerative agriculture has been gaining traction for some time now, and one of its guiding principles is soil health. By starting quite literally from the ground up, producers are better equipped to overcome a number of challenges. Restoring soil health can increase carbon sequestration, reduce biodiversity loss, and improve plant performance – all of which can bolster producers’ resilience to climate change and improve yields.
Not just higher yields – how reg ag can improve economic resilience
Ana María emphasises how costly it can be for farmers to plant new varieties – and that the risk-return trade-off doesn’t always work in their favour.
“Producers need to consider many factors before they start to experiment with different varieties,” she says. “They need expert advice before they make any big changes. Coffee can take up to four years to yield fruit – that’s a lot of investment.
“It’s recommended to have an experimental plot on a farm where coffee producers can try growing new varieties to see how they perform,” she adds. “But before they plant new varieties, it’s always better to try to adapt existing ones.”
With support from other industry stakeholders, this gives farmers more control over their own supply chains. They can better manage production costs while also investing back into the health and productivity of their farms – improving yields, quality, and resilience in the long term. In theory, this also means better prices paid for coffee.
Research centres will continue to develop new high-yielding, resilient hybrid varieties. But no single one will be able to tackle the challenges in coffee production without also addressing the bigger picture.
Finding long-term solutions to climate change and price volatility starts with understanding everything that happens at farm level. Producers can then be better equipped to adapt existing varieties to current environmental conditions, rather than trying to adjust their farming techniques to suit new varieties.
Enjoyed this? Then readour article on why soil health is crucial to regenerative agriculture.
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The post No single variety is a silver bullet – specialty coffee needs to see the bigger picture appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.
