African Fine Coffees Review Special Edition Oct-Dec - EAFCA

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coffee yields.Baker and Haggar (2007) report
that temperature rises over lower lying areas
adversely affect coffee yields. In the same
vein, quality also is affected in that, with rapid
rise in temperature, coffee will ripen more
quickly leading to a fall in quality. Increase
in temperature also favors certain pests and
diseases.
Mitigants for Climate Change…….
For coffee production systems to be
sustainable, it is imperative to take pro-active
measures that mitigate the impacts of climate
change. In mitigating the impact of climate
change, different options may be undertaken.
Coffee producers have several options to
undertake in order to minimize the adverse
impacts of climate change. The International
Trade Center (Climate Change and the
Coffee Industry, 2012) have categorized
these options into short-term and long-term
strategies. The adaptation of these strategies
to coffee production and processing in the
light of the current climate variability varies
according to the different coffee producing
countries in the world.
The short-term mitigation strategies include
better farming practices and more efficient
on-farm processing. The ripple effects of
good agricultural practices (GAP) and good
management practices (GMP) are that water
and soil conservation are attained. As a result,
it leads to adaptation to global warming and
lessening the impacts of climate change. In
the same vein the International Trade Center
(Climate and the Industry, 2012) lists some
of the other technical mitigants in the field
as follows:
• Shading to mitigate increased solar
brilliance, reduce temperature variations
and help retain moisture;
• Improving irrigation and water resources
management;
• Planting hedges and contours to mitigate
wind and water damages;
• Terracing / contouring, drainage and
trapping run-off water;
• Mulching to reduce evaporation, avoid
erosion and improve soil fertility.
The long-term mitigation strategies require
involvement of countries in agreements to
work towards reducing the impact of climate
change. An example of such an agreement
is the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol
is an international agreement linked to the
United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The
major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that
it sets binding targets for thirty-seven
industrialized countries and the European
community for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. This amounts to an average of
five per cent against the 1990 levels over the
five-year period 2008 – 2012.In this regard,
long-term strategies to improve framework
conditions for adaptation to climate risks are
essential for the coffee industry. It is essential
for nations to invest in technologies that will
enhance more access to renewable energy.
It is the responsibility of global stakeholders
to undertake carbon foot printing, vis-à-vis
an assessment of greenhouse gas emissions
and the impact on the coffee industry and
further draw up strategies that mitigate the
impacts of climate change.
References:
Baker, P. and Haggar, J (2007). Global
Warming: The Impact on Global Coffee.
International Trade Center (2012). Climate
Change and The Coffee Industry
By Filtone Chinyemba Sandando Project Manager, AFCA
About An
Inconvenient Truth
In this blog, our correspondents write about
the developments within the efforts to mitigate
climate change. This blog takes its name from
2006 documentary film directed by Davis
Guggenheim about former United States Vice
President Al Gore’s campaign to educate people
about global warming via a comprehensive slide
show. Since the film’s release, An Inconvenient
Truth has been credited for raising international
public awareness of climate change and reenergizing
the environmental movement. The documentary has
also been included in science curricula in schools
around the world.