Coffee Plant (Coffea arabica) The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen dicotyledon that...
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Coffee Plant (Coffea arabica) ffee plant is a woody perennial evergr ledon that belongs to the Rubiaceae fa ea arabica known as Arabica coffee accoun 75-80% of the world's production. offee plant can grow to heights of 10 m t pruned, but producing countries will ain the coffee at a height reasonable f harvesting.
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Transcript of Coffee Plant (Coffea arabica) The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen dicotyledon that...
Coffee Plant (Coffea arabica)
The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen dicotyledon that belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
Coffea arabica known as Arabica coffee accounts for 75-80% of the world's production.
The coffee plant can grow to heights of 10 metersif not pruned, but producing countries will maintain the coffee at a height reasonable for easy harvesting.
For Arabica coffee there are two optimal growing climates:
1. The subtropical regions, at latitudes of 16-24°. Rainy and dry seasons must be well defined, and altitude must be between 1800-3600 feet.
2. The equatorial regions at latitudes lower than 10° and altitudes of 3600-6300 feet. Frequent rainfall causes almost continuous flowering, whichresults in two harvesting seasons.
Coffee Growing Regions Worldwide
GerminatingCoffee Seeds
Coffee Seedlings
Coffee fruit, both ripe (red) and unripe (green).
A Typical “Sun Coffee” Plantation
Ecological Consequences of Coffee Farming
Typical coffee plantations are often monoculturesof coffee plants.
These plantations are designed with the idea thatthe maximum number of plants will maximize theproduction of coffee beans/acre of ground.
Because they are monocultures, they are verydevastating to the ecosystem. There is virtuallyno diversity or good habitat for animals.
Sun coffee requires large amounts of weedkillers and other pesticides because theyneed to be maintained as a monoculture.
The rainforest naturally wants to revert back toit’s natural state, so expensive treatments are needed to keep it from going through it’s patternof ecological succession.
Shade Coffee: An Environmental Solution
The coffee plant evolved in Africa under the rainforest canopy and grows best in the shade.
A traditional coffee farm can provide habitat to varied birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians,insects, trees and flowering plants.
About 200 different species of birds are known as neotropical migrants, breeding in the habitat and backyards of North America and migrating south to Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Islands for the winter.
Shade Coffee Plantations
Recently Planted 7-8 Years Old (2-3 years)
The entire hill inthe backgroundis part of a shadecoffee plantation.
The Baltimore Oriole,Painted Bunting, and Yellow Warbler.
Just three of many birds that Find vital habitat in shadeCoffee plantations.
An estimated 25 million people grow coffee, most of them on small plots of land. Many, perhaps most, smallholders are organic farmers by tradition, in part because they could never afford to purchase pesticidesor fertilizers.
Consumers and CoffeeHow can we coffee lovers know if the beans we drink come from farms that are environmentally friendly and socially responsible?
The only way to know for sure is to seek out credible labels such as Rainforest Alliance Certified, which guarantees that farms are on the path toward true sustainability, and qualified organic labels, which guarantee that farms are not using harmful pesticides and fertilizers.
Savoring a cup of certified sustainable coffee can improve livelihoods for farm families and conserve wildlife and tropical ecosystems - a rare "win-win" opportunity.
