Originally published on cgiar.org by:International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) on May 4, 2009
CIAT is at the forefront of efforts to help coffee farmers in Central America rise to the challenge of climate change. The organization will play a key role in a project to study the impact of rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall on coffee production in the region, and identify ways for farmers to adapt. The project is one of four to receive a grant under Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR)'s Changing Climate Change initiative, which is to provide a total of $800,000 to organizations working to address climate change.
Coffee is a major source of income for small producers in Central America and many growers are already experiencing falling yields due to warmer, drier weather. Pioneering CIAT research has shown that high-quality, high-value coffee crops are particularly susceptible to even minor variations in temperature and rainfall. At the same time, higher temperatures mean there are new opportunities for farmers at higher altitudes to move into coffee production.
CIAT's Peter Laderach said: "Central America is set to experience drastic changes in climate so coffee production needs to become more effective and sustainable. This will require a coordinated response to adapt the whole supply chain, from the field to the roasting house."
The 5-year project, Coffee Under Pressure, sponsored by GMCR, will see CIAT join forces with US development agency Catholic Relief Services (CRS). With its strong track record in climate modeling tools , CIAT will provide the scientific expertise to develop finely-tuned adaptation strategies; CRS will then assist farmers in putting the recommendations into practice. Possible measures could involve the planting of shade crops to protect coffee plants, to diversifying production into alternative cash crops such as cacao.
"Farmers today are making decisions that have 10-to-15-year horizons," continued Laderach. "We need be certain that they are the best decisions."
The project is due to begin in June 2009, and will initially focus on coffee production in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras, with subsequent work in El Salvador and Mexico.
About CIAT
CIAT is a not-for-profit organization that conducts socially and environmentally progressive research aimed at reducing hunger and poverty and preserving natural resources in developing countries. CIAT is one of the 15 centers funded mainly by the 64 countries, private foundations, and international organizations that make up the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
www.ciat.cgiar.org
Contact: Andy Jarvis (a.jarvis@cgiar.org), Land Use Project, CIAT. Phone: +57 (2) 4450100 (ext. 3682), Cali, Colombia.