Around the globe, land use is changing at an alarming rate and coffee producing regions are no exception.
Industrial coffee farming is a major contributor to global warming. Deforestation and forest degradation account for around 45% of the carbon footprint of a bag of coffee. Overall, land use change is responsible for an estimated 12–29% of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
Land use and land cover in Yirgracheffe in 1988 (a), 2003 (b) and 2018 (c). Source: Adane (2020).
Coffee production is changing in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, coffee is traditionally grown by small-scale farmers under the shade of a forest canopy, without chemical fertilisers. These coffee forests are excellent carbon sinks, storing up to 94% of the carbon found in natural forests.
However, as agriculture is the main source of livelihood in rural Ethiopia, many farmers are turning away from coffee and moving towards more lucrative crops.
Working alongside Carble, we are exploring ways to financially reward coffee farmers for maintaining the forest canopy – aiming to reduce our carbon footprint and smallholder poverty with a single investment.
