Addressing the coffee carbon footprint story in our coffee production

JAMAICA’S COFFEE, and in particular, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, has been recognised for its exceptional flavour and has been ranked as one of the world’s best-tasting coffee. This reputation has been built on the strength of the Arabica cultivar, the wide variety of nutrient rich soil types, and the influence of the moisture laden north-east trade winds along with the strong agronomic knowledge of our devoted farmers.

Coffee production plays a significant role in the socio-economic life of our rural folks, providing employment and family income for many households. Interestingly, 78 per cent of the approximately 5,000 coffee farmers are considered small considering that they operate on five acres and less.

As coffee consumption continues to increase there also continues to be an increase in the number of consumers, and along with that are varying desires of these consumers. Added to the above is the fact that coffee consumers, like a number of other consumers, have been paying greater attention to the conditions under which the product they consumed are produced.

The issue of sustainable production and how the environment is impacted are now forefront in the minds of consumers. This is on display in the European Union deforestation free proposal. This proposal aims to guarantee that the products, inclusive of coffee and cocoa, consumed but European citizens do not continue to contribute to deforestation and forest degradation globally.

When those consumer influences are considered along with the fact that the Climate Change Policy Framework for Jamaica, 2015, predicted a changing rainfall pattern in which there will be less summer rainfall, extreme weather events of greater number of flood events, landslides and droughts along with increase hurricane intensity, it is high time for remedial and preventative actions.

It is against those backgrounds and with the desire to build a sustainable coffee industry on the platforms of economic strength, environmental resilience and social well-being that the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) embarked on a carbon footprint pilot study within the Jamaica Blue Mountain area.

The project, which was funded by Winrock under the ‘Private Investment for Enhanced Resilience’ initiative, measured the major emission sources, and the major points of emission with the aim of building awareness within the coffee industry regarding the industry’s carbon footprints.

The results shows that the production activities is the major source of emission with the use of fertilisers on farms being the leading source, followed by the transportation of coffee from farms to collecting depots and Wet Mills.

With this awareness the JACRA is currently formulating a six-phase approach with the aim of reducing carbon emission, increase carbon sequestration and transition to a high biodiversity production system.

The systems will, among other things, incorporate a food agro-forestry in which appropriate plant species will be incorporated to increase the soils microbial life, thus giving them higher nutrient potential and high carbon storage capacity.

The combination food agro-forestry system will at the same time be addressing the issue of food security, especially for the myriad of small farmers which constitute the industry. Adequate tree coverage in a tiered hierarchical level will allow for soil and water conservation and thus address the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MOAF) goal of ‘Grow Smart Eat Smart’ as we strive to attain the great goals of Vision 2030 of poverty reduction and peace and goodwill for all human beings.

As you pay homage to this important crop let us be mindful of the rich biodiversity of the Jamaican landscape in both culture and wildlife. Help us to promote our coffee, in production and consumption, while leaving a legacy for generations to come.