Coffee and the environment

Changes in how coffee plants are grown has resulted in effects on the environment.

Traditionally coffee plants were grown under the shade of trees, which provided natural habitat for many animals and insects, roughly approximating the biodiversity of a natural forest. The trees provided a moderate climate for the plants, and leaves that dropped from the shade trees enriched the soil. Farmers also used compost coffee pulp before chemical fertilizers were available. They also typically rotated crops and cultivated food alongside their cash crops, which provided additional income and food security.

However, in the 1970s and 1980s, during the "Green Revolution," the US Agency for International Development and other groups gave $80 million to plantations in Latin America for advancements to go along with the general shift to technified agriculture. These plantations replaced their shade grown techniques with sun cultivation techniques to increase yields, which in turn destroyed vast forests and biodiversity.

Sun cultivation involves cutting down trees, and high inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Environmental problems, such as deforestation, pesticide pollution, habitat destruction, soil and water degradation, are the effects of most modern coffee farms, and the biodiversity on the coffee farm and in the surrounding areas suffer.

As a result, there has been a return to both traditional and new methods of growing shade-tolerant varieties. Shade-grown coffee can often earn a premium as a more environmentally sustainable alternative to mainstream sun-grown coffee.

Another issue concerning coffee is its use of water. According to New Scientist, it takes about 140 litres of water to produce one cup of coffee, and the coffee is often grown in countries where there is a water shortage, like Ethiopia.