JulieCraves

Retail and specialty roasters / Starbucks

Starbucks and Conservation International

Starbucks entered into a partnership with Conservation International in 1998, an alliance also supported by USAID (unfortunately known to finance many projects promoting sun coffee).  Here is a short history of some of the results of that partnership:

In late 1999, Starbucks introduced a shade-grown coffee grown in Chiapas, Mexico that was part of their partnership with Conservation International (CI), which “promotes practices such as water and soil conservation, crop diversification, and chemical fertilizer and pesticide reduction.”  In addition to buying the beans, Starbucks also “provides financial support to the project and offers technical advice to farmers to raise the quality of their coffee.”

In 2001, Starbucks announced new purchasing guidelines it had developed with CI, which award points to suppliers based on sustainability categories. Suppliers with higher points receive a preference from Starbucks.  Starbucks will also pay a premium of up to  ten cents a pound to suppliers who meet sustainability guidelines.  At the time, Starbucks was reportedly paying an average of $1.20 a pound for coffee, which is still below the typical $1.26 per pound Fair Trade minimum.

It is worth mentioning that these sustainability categories are not strictly environmental, but are also based on quality, social conditions, and economic benefits to the communities.  They do mention shade and chemical reduction, but do not impose any enforceable guidelines for shade management or organic farming methods.

In 2003, Starbucks launched a Colombian coffee that was the result of their partnership with CI and the Colombian Coffee Federation, with stated goal “to promote coffee production methods that protect biodiversity and, at the same time, allow coffee farmers to improve their livelihood.” Starbucks also provides substantial financial support to other CI coffee field projects.

The measures Starbucks is taking on environmentally-friendly coffee are not comprehensive.  The CI guidelines are a start, but lack the strong certification for organic or shade-grown farming practices that are needed to truly protect biodiversity. Their efforts are appreciated, and if customers demand it, perhaps they will continue to improve their commitment both to Fair Trade and the environment.

Birds and other biodiversity / Research on coffee growing

Research: Ant diversity in coffee plantations

These two recent papers discuss the diversity and role of ants in coffee plantations, and how the growing method (sun versus shade) impacts these ants.  Ants are vital in ecosystems.  In tropical forests, there are entire groups of birds (known collectively as “ant birds”) that are completely dependent on swarms of army ants, which they follow in order to prey on insects flushed by the ants.  Even more birds are closely or loosely associated with army ant swarms.  Coffee growing methods that decrease ant diversity can have a profound impact on other biodiversity in tropical forests.

Armbrecht, I., L. Rivera, and I. Perfecto.  2005. Reduced diversity and complexity in the leaf-litter ant assemblage of Colombian coffee plantations. Conservation Biology 19: 897-907.

This study looked at ants along a gradient of intensification of coffee production, from organic shaded coffee with mixed types of shade cover (“polygeneric”) to unshaded sun coffee. The plantations utilizing organic shaded polygeneric methods had ant populations that most resembled natural forest.  As the method of coffee production intensified (went from complex shaded systems to simple sun systems), ant diversity decreased.

Roberts, D.L., R. J. Cooper, and L. J. Petit.  2005. Use of premontane moist forest and shade coffee agrosystems by army ants in western Panama. Conservation Biology 19: 192-199.

Two species of army ants were studied, and found in natural forest and in shade coffee plantations, including those not close to natural forest, but not in sun coffee plantations. In sun coffee plantations, there was less leaf litter for ants to forage and fewer places for the ants to set up “bivouacs” (resting places).

Research on coffee growing

Research: Major papers on biodiversity and coffee

Here are some background papers from peer-reviewed journals covering research on biodiversity and related issues in coffee plantations.  New research of interest will be posted as it becomes available.  You can find it by clicking the category Research on coffee growing. A comprehensive list of papers from the literature can be found by clicking on the “References” tab at the top of the page. This list is continually updated with new research (including papers I don’t review here) and older papers of high quality that I come across.

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Birds and other biodiversity / Coffee regions / Research on coffee growing

Research: Veracruz biodiversity

Pineda, E., C. Moreno, F. Escobar, and G. Halffter.  2005. Frog, bat, and dung beetle diversity in the cloud forest and coffee agrosystems of Veracruz, Mexico. Conservation Biology 19: 400-410.

Cloud forest fragments and shade coffee plantations were compared in central Veracruz.  Diversity of frogs was one-fifth less in coffee; one-third of the frog species occurred in both forests and coffee plantations. Beetle diversity and abundance was greater in coffee plantations than forest fragments. Bat diversity and abundance was the same in both coffee and forest.

The authors concluded that shade coffee plantations connect forest fragments and act to preserve biodiversity, but act as a complement, not a substitute, for montane cloud forests.