THE BIRDS
& THE BEANS:

At Alta we support organic coffee suppliers, farmers and those in transition from pesticide-free to certified organic farming. Organic growing helps to maintain an ethical partnership
between consumers,
farmers,
and the environment.

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"Coffee tastes so sweet.
Livelier than a thousand kisses. Sweeter far than muscatel wine. Oh, I must have my coffee. The only man who pleases me is the man who presents me with coffee" - J.S. Bach, Coffee Cantata

Coffee is the world's only major agricultural product that can be economically produced without causing major damage to the environment. It is estimated that nearly 90% of an original ecosystem can survive the introduction of shade grown coffee. Recently, in the pursuit of this noble product, humans have denuded vast tracts of land and threatened many forms of life. This tragedy is being reenacted in the mountains and valleys of Central America. The irony is that at least this time, it is a tragedy which need not occur.

It's All About the Birds and the Beans
-- from the Biological Conservation Newsletter, No. 161,Nov 1996

During Fall, fair weather birds of the United States leave in droves for Mexico and Central America in search of a patch of forest in which to sit out the harsh winter until the next breeding season. Unfortunately less and less forest awaits them every year due to clearing. As little as ten percent of the original forest cover remains in some Latin American countries, so many birds have sought refuge n the next best thing: coffee farms. Traditional coffee farms to be more exact.

In traditional coffee farms the shade-tolerant coffee shrubs are grown beneath a canopy of native forest trees intermingled with fruit trees (tangerines, avocados, bananas, plantains, lemons, Cacao, Vanilla vines) and other plants. A wide range of migratory birds such as tanagers, orioles, warblers, and vireos as well as year-round residents such as parrots, toucans, togons and woodpeckers (few of which actually eat coffee berries) find this environment attractive. And little wonder as the multi-layered ecosystems that result resemble pseudo-forest with coffee shrubs as the under story, fruit trees at the middle level and native hardwoods such as Mexican cedar as the canopy. The number of bird species supported by traditional coffee farms is sometimes only exceeded in undisturbed tropical forest.

The ecologically diverse coffee farms also benefit farmers economically by providing a variety of products for local consumption and for sale, plus some insurance if coffee prices are low. Costs for the farmers are reduced too as the virtually self-sustaining ecosystems require little or no pesticides, fungicides, irrigation or fertilizers. These are supplanted by such phenomena as natural predation of insects by the diverse animal life, a mulching leaf litter that reduces evaporation, erosion and weed growth and a protective canopy that buffers against drying winds and eroding rain.

Despite these advantages these seemingly safe havens are becoming scarce as many farmers convert to modernized coffee farms. This process started in the early 1970šs as coffee farmers began to adopt modern methods that relied on new, high yield, densely packed coffee plants. These dwarf plants are usually grown in evenly spaced rows in full sun, nurtured with fertilizers and protected against attack by an array of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. The higher density of plantings and use of fertilizers results in up to four times the production per land area of traditional farms.

Seduced by the higher yields and initially at least, protection against a fungal pest known as leaf rust, many farmers willingly dismantled their traditional farms along with the overstory and replanted modern, full sun coffee plant varieties. At the same time they exposed bare soils to rain, sun and wind. The results have been increased erosion, polluted run-off, a substantial reduction in wildlife habitat, and increased exposure of workers to hazardous chemicals. These modern "technified" farms reportedly suffer significantly more soil erosion than farms with shade trees, especially on steep slopes where coffee is commonly grown in Latin America. Overall, the conversion from shade to full sun coffee renders coffee farms as useless for wildlife.

Several advocates of shade and organic coffee production methods such as the Organic Crop Improvement Association Inc. and the Rainforest Alliance are attempting to provide some type of classification system to allow this to happen. They were among the co-sponsors of the first Sustainable Coffee Congress organized by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center held in Washington, D. C.

Buying "shade grown coffee" is like buying dolphin-free tuna.
What Can We Do? Where will the 3 - 5 billion North American migratory birds that go to Central America go when the forest is gone? As nearly all of the migratory birds are forest dwellers, one can only speculate as to what might happen if they disappear forever.

This tragedy need not happen! there is a solution. Strangely enough, because of the vast scale of the coffee industry, shade grown coffee will probably end up being the last and only hope not only for the migrants, but for the majority of the incredible stock of life found in the tropics.

The bottom line is- Support Organically Shade Grown Coffee. When you go into a restaurant, ask if the coffee is organic and shade grown, if it is not, DON'T HAVE ANY. Don't support an industry that is so blatantly destructive. We as consumers can make a difference and turn this destruction around. Drink coffee with a good Conscience.