Let's talk about coffee cultivation. ─ owns it now, or in the long run.

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Coffee is one of the agricultural products, and its yield varies according to region, climate, altitude, planting mode and other factors. Since coffee has swept the world and become the most popular drink in western countries, the demand for this drink has increased all over the world. From the most preliminary and primitive forest planting, coffee-producing countries have gradually developed planting methods, varieties, and treatment methods that can increase production, good supply and rising demand; however, in this process, there are also environmental, economic and trade problems.

This issue of the electronic newspaper will start with the way coffee is grown, and discuss the impact of planting on the environment.

V.S unshaded planting (also known as sun exposure)

The process of coffee fruit growth

Arabica coffee beans are suitable for growing in a warm environment without excessive sun exposure and rainfall, so most of the plants are planted in the "shade method", through tall forests to secluded and low coffee trees. This cultivation method is strongly supported and promoted by environmental groups, because it reduces the damage to the environment, so that the forest is preserved, and the primitive ecology and birds can continue to inhabit here. However, due to its yield and rust [Note 1] disasters, some producing areas have changed to other varieties of coffee that do not need shade, such as Kaddura (caturra), catuai (Kaduai) or other stronger coffee beans such as Robusta, which can be planted on flat land, exposed to the scorching sun, and have strong resistance to diseases and insect pests.

Sun-exposed planting

Planting by Yu Shade method

Yu Yinfa, the chief culprit of rust?

Coffee leaves suffering from rust (photo source: Wikipedia)

"long live Coffee" mentions the coffee rust in 1870, which dealt a heavy blow to the coffee industry from Ceylon coffee fields to the entire East Indies at that time. Experts and scholars looked for the cause. Some thought it was moisture, while others suggested that it was because of the dadap tree species planted by Yu Yinfa. These sources are correct. ─ dadap tree species are sheltered to cause moisture and eventually lead to mold breeding. But the real trigger is the single crop ─ large tracts of dadap trees and large tracts of single varieties of coffee, making the mold spread quickly and defenseless, thus discovering or producing robusta beans or other sturdy beans that are more resistant to diseases and insect pests.

─ Coffee was also responsible for the disappearance of the rainforest.

The advantage of Yu Yin method is that it retains the old environment and allows the original species to inhabit, but the yield and planting density are not as good as the exposure type, so the ─ merchants and farmers on the other side of the Libra of coffee interests cut down the big trees of the rainforest one after another and set them on fire, then sprinkled with fertilizer and planted coffee beans with high yield and favorable for planting, thus a large area of forest was transformed into a large area of coffee forest. And coffee joins the disappearance of the rainforest.

Rainforest felling and burning

Libra of Environmental Sustainability and benefit

In the past, most businessmen pursued fast and stable coffee production, but as a result, overdevelopment led to a counterattack by nature. with the imbalance between environment and demand, the coffee supply chain [Note 2]. People have to face that in addition to owning coffee now, people have to try to think about what it means to "own" coffee in the longer term; the issue of sustainability continues to be discussed in the coffee industry. Relevant groups and certification are also created in response, in order to strike a balance between the environment, coffee merchants and consumers. They believe that what is better for the environment and producers is the best for consumers. However, as modern consumers, what we should consider is not simply the high or low amount of money, concessions, etc., but the things behind this food, ─, we want to have ─ now or "longer-term ownership".

Maybe next time when you buy coffee beans, in addition to paying attention to the producing area and packaging, you might as well consider these relevant certified products.

Introduction to related certification

UTZ certification

Through the farmers, environment-friendly planting methods, improve the planting environment, farmers' living environment, and establish a strict and transparent production resume, so that consumers can clearly grasp the source of products.

Learn more: https://www.utz.org/

Rainforest Alliance

Through traditional agricultural planting instead of deforestation, reduce the damage to the rainforest and the environment, and at the same time protect the rights and interests and welfare of farmers.

Learn more: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/

Fair trade

Efforts are made to promote fair trade among consumers, traders and producers so that producers in developing countries can get better income out of poverty and reduce layers of exploitation by intermediate stakeholders.

Learn more: http://fairtrade.org.tw/

Note:

1. Rust, also known as coffee rust (coffee rust)

Most of the coffee leaves occur on the coffee leaves, and a few of them are infected to young fruits and tender stems; the infected coffee leaves show light macula and then turn black and spread to the whole coffee leaves, making the leaves droop and dry up, and after serious infection, to affect photosynthesis and fruit to yield.

More Coffee Diseases: http://web.ncyu.edu.tw/ Mutual JGTSY JG6-2079.html

two。 In recent years, many reports have pointed out that in the next few years, the production of coffee will be far less than the demand, in the state of imbalance between supply and demand, coffee may become a high unit price drink that can only be consumed by a small number of people.

Related reports:

Coffee crisis: is mankind's favorite drink coming to an end? ─ BBC

Coffee crisis ─ Scientific people Magazine

Reference books

Long live ─ Coffee: how Coffee changes the World. By Mark Pandergrast; Lianjing Press; 2000

"exploring the Secrets of Fine Coffee" Zhuo Huaimin / author; Pindu Co., Ltd.; 2008