Learning about coffee and climate change

 

Informative article in Nature magazine.

How Colombian coffee farmers helped my climate-change research

"The Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia is a World Heritage Site — designated by the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO — honouring the generational tradition of farming in this region. The landscape consists of 18 urban settlements dating back to the nineteenth century, with coffee farms situated on steep mountain ranges, often in forest clearings.

But owing to climate change, these farmers report that their livelihoods and heritage are threatened by changes in temperature, more extreme weather events, increases in pests and disease and their inability to plan production decisions (such as when to harvest coffee cherries) on the basis of historical indicators that have been altered, and that they feel they have no way to successfully adapt. Although they are experienced farmers who often have the wisdom of generations of coffee farming in their families, they do not have the support that they need to overcome the challenges presented by climate change. They need more information, institutional support and financial stability."

Just like the traditional olive oil agriculture in Spain.

We should be paying attention.  Fortunately, some scientists are paying attention.