Fixing Your Coffee

Consider the humble cup of coffee - a morning staple for many, a quick pick-me-up, a symbol of a civilized and hard-working society, a bookstore must.  It's also the world's second most valuable legal commodity after oil, with environmental and social impacts to match.

Did you know coffee trees grow naturally in the shade?  Yet in 1970's the industrialization of coffee farming moved many operations into the sun - requiring that fields in South America be clear-cut to accommodate the larger farms.  While this new way of farming allowed for greater yields, it has since severely damaged the already fragile eco-system of the rain forests.  Not only deforestation, but pesticide pollution, habitat destruction, and soil and water degradation plague the areas where coffee farming has been moved from the natural shade of the forest to the man-made open fields.

In addition, the large sun-grown operations are edging out the smaller family farms that maintain their centuries-old traditions in the shade.  The rustic farms are run out of business by the large operations that charge a fraction of what the coffee is worth - driving down the price on the market until the small farms can't afford to operate.  The "sweatshops in the fields" take over with only profits in mind - the welfare of their own workers is not even important.

There are two ways that you can contribute to not only a better coffee industry, but even get a better cup of coffee.  Certified Organic brands are shade-grown, not sun-grown, and won't contain pesticide or herbicide residues.  But also looking for the Fair Trade label ensures that the coffee was purchased at a fair price from small family farms that take care of their employees.  Most of the time you will find these labels together.

And don't forget to use your own mug instead of paper or styrofoam!

Sources:  Wikipedia, Global Exchange,  Organic Trade Association