Shade Grown Coffee Information

Maintaining Forests

• Growing coffee in the shade allows native trees to remain standing, rather than clear-cutting them to grow coffee. Keeping patches of forest alive isn't just important for that particular patch of trees -- it ensures continuity between larger swaths of forest. Forest fragmentation has become a serious problem in many parts of the world, like tropical rain forests. Keeping intact as much forest as possible allows wildlife to use it as a corridor during migrations, or when searching for food and mates. Maintaining the forests also keeps the climate from altering, as it does when vast tracts of land are cleared. Transpiration of water from plants to the air continues the water cycle.

Supporting Biodiversity

• Because native forests remain standing, native animals and plant species can also continue thriving. Numerous migratory and resident bird species typically suffer habitat loss when forests are cleared for coffee plantations, for instance. Shade grown coffee farms can provide habitat for about two thirds of the original bird species in the area. Shade grown coffee not only gives birds a place to nest, but keeps the ecosystem as a whole alive. If the trees were cut to grow coffee, a monoculture would replace the natural habitat. Animals would search for other places to live, which may be difficult or impossible due to the speed of habitat loss. They could be at risk from predators, humans, diseases and lack of resources like food and water when forced off of their land.

Providing Livelihoods

• With a variety of animal and plant species replenishing the soil, the soil does not become depleted of nutrients as it would with a monoculture. This means that shade grown coffee could continue growing for much longer than a monoculture could, providing families with a secure livelihood. Family farmers, who typically have small patches of land to farm, cannot simply move to another patch of land when theirs becomes depleted of nutrients. A shade grown coffee farm allows them to pass down a farm through the generations, long after a large corporation would have abandoned its plantation.

Considerations

• Coffee producers sometimes stretch the meaning of "shade grown," labeling their coffee as shade grown simply because they've placed screening over their plantations. This obviously does not promote biodiversity. Consumers often associate shade grown coffee with organic coffee, but farmers may use pesticides and chemical fertilizers on shade grown coffee. Fortunately, labels such as "Bird Friendly" and "Fair Trade" signal true shade grown coffee. Consumers can also purchase coffee from environmental groups like the Rainforest Alliance, which ensure that local people and wildlife benefit.