Efforts to produce more coffee have led not only to lower prices but also to environmental degradation. Since the 1970s, many coffee plantations and estates have cleared more and more forests and started aggressively cultivating high-yield coffee varieties under the open sun. In order to tolerate the increased sun exposure, these hybrid trees rely more heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Deforestation and the resulting loss of biodiversity pose a significant threat to the survival of migratory song-birds and other wildlife. Deforestation has also led to devastating landslides and flooding during weather emergencies such as Hurricane Mitch, which killed thousands in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras in 1998. In addition, modernized crops that demand more chemical inputs are bad for the health of farm-workers and pollute local water supplies. In contrast to estate coffee, Fair Trade coffee is usually grown under the canopy of a forest ecosystem, without the use of chemical inputs. When grown in this way, coffee provides a sustainable livelihood for farmers without destroying natural resources. Fair Trade helps keep small farmers on the land, thereby maintaining thousands of acres in more traiditional, earth-friendly agroecosystems. Here are some of the specific ways that small farmers and Fair Trade protect the environment.
Small-scale farms use land more efficiently. By growing a variety of crops in one area ("intercropping"), together with livestock, small farms use land more efficiently than large monoculture estates. Traditional small coffee farms contain many species of crop, shade and fruit trees, which can provide nearly all of the food a family needs. Such farms ensure a balanced diet for the family and help reduce farmers' financial risk, and increase self-sufficiency.
Small-scale farms maintain diverse tropical forest systems. Small-scale diversified coffee farms host a rich array of wildlife, including songbirds that migrate seasonally from North America, and can be as biodiverse as natural forested ecosystems. These shaded farms also protect topsoil from eroision, prevent damage from heavy rains and wind, and help keep nutrients and moisture in the soil.
Small-scale farms use fewer agrochemicals. The lion's share of pesticides used around the world are applied on large estates that have access to modern technology and financial credit programs. Agrochemicals poison farmworkers and pollute the soil, water and air, even far from where they are applied. Small scale farmers rarely use chemical inputs because of their high cost, relying instead on organic fertilizer and natural pest control. The vast majority of small farmers involved in Fair Trade worldwide grow coffee without chemical fertilizers or pesticides and are considered "passive organic."
Fair Trade helps small farmers become organic-certified. Although organic production may be unrealistic for larger estates that are already deforested and dependent on agrochemicals, small farmers can transitional from "passive organic" to certified organic relatively easily. In addition to the standard Fair Trade floor price of $1.26/lb, the Fair Trade model includes an additional $0.15/lb premium for certified organics — a strong incentive for farmers and more than enough to cover certification costs.
Fair Trade facilitates technical assistance for sustainable farming. In order to join the register of certified Fair Trade coffee producers, cooperatives must use sustainable production techniques. Many coops invest Fair Trade revenues in technical assistance programs to train their members in soil improvement, agroforestry, organic production and environmentally-friendly coffee processing.
Fair Trade builds markets for organic and shade-grown coffee. Since 1999, 80% of the coffee certified as Fair Trade by Transfair has also been certified organic. A similar percentage is shade-grown.
Updated on 2/7/2003, a Friday
