Shade-Grown Coffee vs. Sun-Grown Coffee

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I learned something new yesterday. It happened while I was in HealthSmart. Chad picked up a bag of coffee beans and put them on the counter. They were in an earthy brown bag with birds on the front. They owner asked me if I had seen the brochure about it. I hadn't, so she showed it to me. It's called "bird-friendly coffee". It's bird-friendly because it's shade-grown. Apparently, most coffee farmers produce sun-grown coffee beans, which means they have to cut down trees to grow the coffee plants in full sun. These trees house many varieties of migratory birds and many of them are not returning to the area because of the lack of trees. I did not know anything about this. All I knew was that I like coffee.

Shade-grown is the way that farmers had traditionally farmed coffee beans, but due to higher demand, over half of these farms have switched to sun-grown to increase production. Here is a quote for you from the Smithsonian brochure: "In addition to being havens for birds, shade coffee plantations provide habitat for myriad insects, orchids, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and other less well known denizens of tropical forests. Furthermore, shade trees protect fragile tropical soils from erosion, provide nutrients, and suppress weeds, thus reducing or eliminating the need for chemical herbicides and fertilizers, and lowering farming costs. Farmers also harvest an assortment of fruits, firewood, lumber, and medicines from the shade trees. These products make farm families less vulnerable to coffee price fluctuations on the world market."

I think that sums up the issue pretty well and I'm on board. Americans drink one-third of the world's coffee, so if we choose to buy shade-grown coffee, we can make a big impact. If you buy coffee beans with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center logo, you can be sure that it's legit. The farms must also meet organic certification standards in order to be eligible to be bird-friendly.

Here are some facts for you to sum up my blog for today:

-In some Central American countries, shaded coffee plantations represent a large percentage of the remaining forest cover.

-Of the 6.9 million acres of coffee planted in northern Latin America, 40% has been converted into sun coffee.

-Shade coffee plantations can support well over 150 species of birds.

-Many coffee connoisseurs maintain that shade-grown coffee tastes better than sun-grown coffee. (I agree with this.)

So, ask for shade-grown coffee and be environmentally friendly.