Table of contents
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Sustainability and coffee
- Coffee, the future
- Zayed’s vision, efforts and hopes
Abstract
The world we live in today is not the same as in 50 years ago. Sustainability has become a buzz word in recent years, but the long-term economic, environmental, and social health of the coffee industry are vital considerations. Reduced biodiversity and farmers living in poverty are just some of the issues involved. Coffee is a lifeline for millions and a major beverage for all coffee lovers. But, recently coffee beans are facing changes, we love coffee, so do you. Keep on reading to learn with us how coffee is affected by climate change and why our coffee needs saving, which lies in sustainability.
Introduction
Environmental sustainability is perhaps the most pressing issue facing the world today. Agriculture drives 80% of tropical deforestation and coffee farming requires huge amounts of resources. Processing and the import-export side of coffee also have environmental impacts.
Coffee is threatened by climate change. It needs cool temperatures to grow, but the earth is getting warmer, in the last 50 years the earth’s temperature increased 1.1 degrees.
The topic is deep, yet simple to understand. We will talk about sustainability, coffee, the future of coffee and our efforts to be more effective as coffee lovers.t
Sustainability and coffee
The word “sustainability” is thrown around a lot and the understanding of what it is has changed somewhat over the years. But when we talk about sustainability in coffee we are really considering what is known as the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit.
So, what is the relation between coffee and sustainability? …Climate change is hitting coffee farmers particularly hard. Precipitation is more volatile, drought and flooding are both more widespread, and rising temperatures threaten coffee farmers, regardless of location.specialty coffee is particularly at risk due to climate change. “Because higher-altitude coffees tend to be higher-quality coffees, rising temperatures will force farmers up the mountainside to seek out the cooler temperatures that specialty coffee needs. But as farmers move up the mountainsides, there is less and less land available for coffee.
Why do we need social sustainability for coffee?… Many coffee producing countries are extremely poor, and lack effective social infrastructure, the economic sustainability of the industry is related to the social sustainability of the communities around the world now the need for sustainable manufacturing, agriculture for coffee is urgent, environmental sustainability is a major cause today. Agriculture drives 80% of tropical deforestation, coffee farming requires huge amounts of resources starting from the process of manufacturing, importing and exporting all of this have a huge impact on the environment. So, generally, coffee agriculture is having a negative impact on biodiversity, but there is still hope to reach for healthy and sustainable ways that aren’t harmful or at least to reduce the harmness.
So can coffee be sustainable?… People, planet, and profit are interlinked. it is possible for the coffee industry to meet the triple bottom line. But, wait … what is ‘sustainable coffee’?
It is defined as coffee that is grown in a way that conserves nature and provides better livelihoods for the people who grow and process it. And here comes the next question, Can coffee be grown in a way that doesn’t conserve nature? … It can. Coffee is grown almost only in the tropics, in places that are home to most of the world’s remaining tropical forests. When farmers want to expand their coffee plantations, the easiest thing for them to do is to cut down some of the surrounding forest. Moreover, coffee is often grown on steep slopes;if care is not taken, it can lead to erosion and sedimentation of waterways. Processing coffee is also water-intensive, and the wastewater can contaminate rivers and streams. Taken together, these practices quickly become unsustainable.
Now for the other part, coffee will be affected by climate change, how?… The coffee industry mainly relies on two species:”Arabica” with 60% of production worldwide and “Canephora” or “Robusta” with 40% of production. The average world production exceeded 80 million tonnes. Now there are several problems in the current agriculture of coffee as the conventional cultivation and the fresh clear-cut that requires a huge amount of water as we can see for every cup of coffee consumed it destroys about five square centimeters of rainforest,so now some farmers are going back to the organic agriculture to save water and decrease the effect of the cultivation on the environment but is that actually the solution?
90% of coffee production now is taking place in the developing countries, those who are less responsible for global warming but they are facing huge consequences. Coffee agriculture faces huge changes in the rainfall and sun exposure. Sometimes there is too much rainfall and sometimes a little rainfall, and that ruins the plant and spreads diseases in the coffee seeds.
Now, in these circumstances and if the world kept on going in the same track there won’t be any other solutions but to go back to the rare species of coffee in the old world of Africa and Asia there are 130 different species 60% of them are exposed to extinct soon but there is a specific type of them called “Stenophylla” its very rare and it is superior to arabica. It can grow 7 degrees higher than arabica but it’s hard to get and the farmers don’t know how to plant it.
The future of coffee
The future of coffee will be in gene modification. Now in the labs scientists can change the DNA of the coffee and make it healthier and faster in the production to help lower the costs in production and increase the coffee’s efficiency. And that is optimistic news to have even more healthy coffee production.And here is an interesting thing to consider
Genetic Engineering and the Future of Coffee
Climate change is upsetting the fragile conditions in which coffee currently exists and the primary source of income for those involved in its cultivation. Trying to find a coffee producer who has not felt the impact of climate change is difficult. Sulaiman Abu Bakar, a coffee producer in the Aceh area of Sumatra, has noticed increased variation in the region’s two seasons, specifically a longer dry season and a shorter rainy season. He believes climate change is responsible for this seasonal volatility, which has reduced green coffee yields.
Studies suggest that by 2050, climate change will impact more than half the land currently used for coffee cultivation, creating conditions unsuitable for production. While climate change is difficult to predict, the scientific community agrees the future outlook for coffee production is dire unless immediate action is taken. The response to climate change must include aggressive solutions. New coffee cultivars are required to adapt to the impact of climate change.
Conventional breeding programs can take more than 30 years to produce a commercially available cultivar. Looking through the lens of climate change, this time frame is unacceptable. Similarly, transgenic engineering — incorporating foreign DNA into the genome of an organism — as it exists today is time intensive and requires significant financial investment.
There is widespread consumer opposition to genetically modified foods and beverages, the scientific community does not share that opposition. And in light of the dire outlook for the future of coffee cultivation in the coming decades, it seems clear we must understand and embrace research that includes genetic engineering as a potential tool in the fight to save coffee.
Natural and Artificial Mutations, it’s getting to be more enthusiastic now, we know, Genetic mutation within DNA is the result of naturally occurring processes within an organism and interactions with its environment. Mutations can arise during normal cellular events, such as when a cell divides. Cell division is a complex and highly orchestrated process called mitosis, with the result of creating two cells with identical genomes. Proteins work in complex arrangements and groups to accurately replicate DNA destined for the divided cells.
Maybe you will feel it’s a bit hard to understand, or you wonder that it’s getting to be so complicated,but wait we will give you the conclusion right away so be patient.
So, What Comes Next?
Editing the coffee genome using CRISPR or other agricultural biotechnologies will require a healthy debate that should involve all participants in the specialty coffee industry — from producers to consumers, and everyone in between, uninformed reactions to GMOs should not distract from this important discussion.
So, you have reached to Zayed’s vision and efforts. You are officially a loyal fan, congratulations.
So, in Zayed we aim for an ethical approach for humans and nature. Everything is measured in detail. We seek sustainable coffee not just for the present but for the future. We are starting to use eco-friendly materials in our production, we recycle plastic. Trying to maintain a whole manufacturing process with as little impact on the environment as possible in the current circumstances hoping for a better future and trying to be part of that. This is who we are. Trying to learn about different topics, getting deeper to reach the roots. And we have an open heart for everyone to join our community, don’t make yourself at home because this is your home.
Thank you.
