June 2009

Birds and other biodiversity / Research on coffee growing

Research: Andean shade coffee quality habitat for birds

Bakermans, M. H., A. C. Vitz, A. D. Rodewald, and C. G. Rengifo. 2009. Migratory songbird use of shade coffee in the Venezuelan Andes with implications for the conservation of the cerulean warbler. Biological Conservation 142:2476-2483. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.05.018

Most studies of birds in shade coffee have concentrated on numbers, species composition, and foraging dynamics, but none has looked at whether birds using shade coffee improve in body condition during the winter months. Body condition is strongly correlated with annual survival, and thus a crucial metric.

This study took place in Venezuela’s northern Andes near La Azulita in the state of Merida. This region is not very well represented in the literature (either coffee-growing or bird ecology research), yet it is an important wintering site for many North American bird species. These include various flycatchers and thrushes (Contopus and Catharus sp.), and a number of warblers including Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea). This species, which I have written about before, has declined an estimated 83% in the last four decades. The shade coffee farms examined ranged from 3 to 5 ha with 38 to 63% canopy cover. Nearby primary forest was also included in the study.

The four most common North American migrant species found, all warblers, were American Redstart, Blackburnian Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, and Tennessee Warbler. These species were three to fourteen times more common in shade coffee than in primary forest, even when detectability was factored in (because coffee farms are more open, birds can often be easier to detect, which would introduce bias if not accounted for).

Body condition was measured using various parameters in the five most common species of birds captured for banding in the shade coffee farms. Body condition improved over the winter for three species, including Cerulean Warblers, and was maintained in the other species. Nearly 30% of the individuals of the 15 species of migrants banded were recaptured, meaning they stayed in the coffee farms for prolonged periods of time throughout the season. These are all indications that the shade coffee provided quality habitat for these species.

In addition, 65% of Cerulean Warblers banded the first winter were recaptured or resighted the next winter, a remarkable return rate. Faithfulness to wintering sites is advantageous in that birds are familiar with resources such as food and cover, which can improve survivorship. However, it is also quite risky for birds wintering in areas experiencing high rates of habitat loss. Venezuela has seen nearly 40% of its shade coffee converted other types of agriculture — the authors state that they witnessed several shade coffee farms turned into cattle pasture during the two year duration of this study.

Just noting the sheer numbers, or even diversity of birds, in a particular habitat doesn’t tell the whole story. They may be present, sometimes only briefly, depending on the availability of resources in the larger landscape. This study not only showed that migrant birds were very common in shade coffee even in a region with primary forest, but also demonstrated site fidelity and improvement in body condition — adding  a critical component to the story of the value of shade coffee.

Cerulean Warbler photo by Petroglyph under a Creative Commons license.

Bakermans, M., Vitz, A., Rodewald, A., & Rengifo, C. 2009. Migratory songbird use of shade coffee in the Venezuelan Andes with implications for conservation of cerulean warbler Biological Conservation DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.05.018

Certifications / Rainforest Alliance

When is 100% not 100%?

[Note: as of 2020, Rainforest Alliance has updated its labeling requirements and now requires 90% certified beans in order to carry the seal.]

Non-certified beans allowed in coffee labeled as 100% Rainforest Alliance certified.

Product labels are a tricky thing. Marketers use all sorts of colorful language to entice consumers to buy their products. The extent of regulations governing the truthfulness of product labeling depend on the product and the country.

A fine example, the one I harp on here all the time, is the label “shade-grown coffee.” There is no legal definition of the term “shade-grown.” Therefore, this label can be slapped on any coffee, including coffee grown in the sun, or from farms with only a few shade trees This might be done out of either ignorance or a desire to capture the market (see more on this here), because these coffees usually carry a price premium.

Enter third-party certifications, which are designed to reassure buyers that the coffee they purchase is grown under particular standards and conditions, verified by an outside organization. The two “eco-certifications” for coffee which include shade criteria are Smithsonian Bird-Friendly and Rainforest Alliance. Smithsonian Bird-Friendly certification deals exclusively with shade growing methods (it also requires organic certification), while Rainforest Alliance certification includes less rigorous shade criteria (quick comparison here), as well as standards relating to other aspects of farm management.

Smithsonian Bird-Friendly: What’s in the bag
When you buy coffee with the Smithsonian Bird-Friendly (BF) seal on it, 100% of the beans in the bag came from a BF-certified farm, or certified portion of the farm. Period.

Rainforest Alliance: What’s in the bag
When you buy coffee that carries the Rainforest Alliance seal, it may contain as little as 30% certified beans. The amount should be specified on the bag; an example from Caribou’s house blend is shown here. The mere fact that this is allowed (especially for large roasters like Kraft) is disconcerting to many people, consumers and roasters alike. But at least the amount is disclosed on the packaging.

If there is no minimum content indicated on a package of coffee that carries the Rainforest Alliance seal, that is intended to mean that all the beans in the bag come from Rainforest Alliance certified farms. Sometimes the package or advertising even reiterates that the contents are 100% certified beans. However, there is a little problem with this.

Rainforest Alliance: When 100% might actually equal 81%
I learned at the Coffee Conference I attended last fall that packages labeled 100% Rainforest Alliance certified can actually contain much less than that without disclosure to the consumer. This is because players at both ends of the coffee supply chain are allowed to mix in up to 10% non-certified beans without penalty.

This information came directly from a Rainforest Alliance representative. It was in response to a question from a Rainforest Alliance certified coffee farmer who attended the conference. He asked if producers could mix in a percentage of beans from non-certified parts of their farms, and if so, how much. The Rainforest Alliance rep responded that she thought it would be up to 10%, the same amount of non-certified beans roasters and retailers are allowed to mix in their products.

Therefore, a package of Rainforest Alliance certified coffee, marketed as and believed by the consumer to contain 100% RA-certified beans could conceivably only contain 81% certified beans (if the roaster/retailer mixed in 10% non-certified beans into a shipment from a producer that only contained 90% certified beans, 90% * .90 = 81%).

I hate to rip on Rainforest Alliance, as I think they’ve done some great things for sustainable coffee. This, however, is not one of them. Many roasters I’ve talked to think that the “30% rule” tarnishes a great certification, confuses or misleads consumers, and indicates too much concession to corporate interests. Although most coffee people I’ve discussed this with don’t agree with them, Rainforest Alliance at least has their rationale for doing this. The additional 10% “slop” allowance, though, seems to defy explanation. It’s not permitted for coffee labeled 100% organic or 100% Bird-Friendly. If a coffee carries a 100% seal, it should contain 100% certified contents. That seems pretty simple to me.

(UPDATE: Please read the comment section — it includes a reply from Rainforest Alliance as well as my response and that of a TransFair representative — and my follow up-post which in there is a lengthy reply from the Smithsonian Bird-Friendly folks.)

 

Birds and other biodiversity / Certifications

Cerulean Warbler Reserve coffee certified

A coffee farm that is part of the ProAves Cerulean Warbler Reserve in Santander, Colombia was recently certified by Rainforest Alliance (under the cooperative Asociacion de Café Sostenibles de Santander). The 15 ha farm was acquired in 2006 by ProAves, the Colombian partner of the American Bird Conservancy (ABC). These two organizations worked together to secure funding to establish the 220 ha Reserve in 2005. In 2008, the farm covered 18% of the Reserve’s operating costs, and the goal is to cover all operating costs by 2011 through the sales of coffee.

As part of the Save the Cerulean Warbler effort, ABC has also marketed a Cerulean Warbler Coffee, roasted and distributed by Thanksgiving Coffee Company, which we have reviewed here.

Just to avoid confusion, the ABC/Thanksgiving Cerulean Warbler coffee is from a different part of Colombia, not from farms adjacent to or near the Reserve. The Thanksgiving Coffee Company’s Cerulean Warbler Coffee is not Rainforest Alliance or Smithsonian Bird-Friendly certified. According to ABC, the plans are for Thanksgiving to source coffee from these farms in the future. Currently, coffee from farms near the Reserve are being sold to wholesalers and are not being marketed as conservation coffees.