Foreword
Climate change is putting coffee production and the livelihoods of coffee farmers and their families around the world at risk. Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, as well as extreme weather events, can impact production cycles and negatively affect coffee production. In order to develop a strategic approach that responds effectively to climate change and its effects on coffee production, a supra-regional development partnership known as the initiative for coffee & climate (c&c) was formed.
c&c was founded in 2010 by the shareholders of International Coffee Partners (ICP) together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and is coordinated and implemented by Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS). Today it consists of the founding members Delta Cafés, Franck, Joh. Johannson, Lavazza Foundation, Löfbergs, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, Paulig, and Tchibo, the associate members Julius Meinl, Smuckers, Tim Hortons, and Walter Matter as well as the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency as public partner. The initiative is open and invites further dedicated partners and stakeholders in the coffee sector to join in.
Since the beginning, c&c worked with producers and service providers along selected green coffee supply chains in key coffee regions in Brazil, Trifinio (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras), Tanzania and Vietnam. These regions were chosen based on their relevance as key coffee producing areas, representing Arabica and Robusta production, intensive and diverse growing systems, as well as wet and dry processing. Today, c&c is active in Central America (Honduras and Guatemala), Brazil, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Indonesia. The goal of the c&c initiative is to develop a strategic approach to climate change that is based on practical experiences and effective collaboration.
For more information on the initiative, visit www.coffeeandclimate.org.
Introduction
The overall objective of the initiative for coffee & climate (c&c) is to support coffee farmers in building their resilience to climate change. A key output of the initiative is the c&c approach, a five-step process that introduces climate change adaptation at the farm level and supports actors in putting theory into practice. This systematic and participatory approach is primarily designed to assist extension services and rural development programs in supporting farmers in their adaptation to changing climatic conditions by developing local coping strategies.
This manual is a step-by-step guide for implementing the c&c approach, focusing specifically on the adaptation of coffee production in response to climate change at the farm level. It has been developed on the basis of experiences and lessons learned during the c&c pilot projects.
What this manual does
- It introduces the c&c approach to climate change adaptation for the coffee sector, an approach that is strongly supported by empirical evidence, but also very practical to use.
- It offers a practical orientation on how to implement the c&c approach at a local or regional level, in cooperation with coffee farmers and their communities.
- It provides clear definitions of basic concepts, examples of climate change issues and risk management for coffee production, as well as guiding questions for further reflection.
- It provides support for the development of adaptation practices in order to make coffee production systems more resilient to climate change and to improve the livelihoods of coffee producers. In doing so, the manual also supports users in building their knowledge and skills.
- It serves as an important document for stakeholders who are looking to introduce climate change adaptation practices as part of their support for coffee farmers.
Target group
- It is written for individuals and organizations working on sustainability aspects with coffee farmers in the field, including governmental extension services, NGOs, civil society institutions , farmer organizations, cooperatives and companies offering farmer support. It is highly relevant to those looking to develop a climate risk management program in order to deal with the adverse impacts of climate change, and to reduce potential harms or associated losses.
What this manual does not do
- Within the approach’s pilot framework, c&c has developed a systematic and participatory methodology to enable coffee farmers to better respond to climate change. In this manual, c&c deliberately does not instruct on what to implement or how to measure x or y for a specific adaptation option. Instead, coffee farmers and service providers should use the manual as a guide for developing the adaptation options that apply to their particular context. They should not depend on the manual as the only approach to climate change adaptation, but rather as a helpful tool in their journey to making coffee production systems more resilient and to building their local adaptive capacity. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to climate change, as it always is a location-specific phenomenon and entails uncertainty of future risks. Therefore, climate change adaption needs to be a continuous process.
Climate change in the coffee sector
Climate change has become an internationally recognized problem. Its impacts have been acknowledged on a global scale, in a range of different sectors – agriculture being one of them. The main effects on agricultural production are expected to be increased variability, a decrease of production in certain areas and changes in geography. The global causes and effects of climate change have become very well known and will be briefly covered here. For more in-depth information on this topic, please consult separate .
Introduction to climate change and climate variability
Defined by the IPCC as long-term shifts in temperature and rainfall, climate change is driven largely by human activity and rising greenhouse gas emissions. The result? More extreme and unpredictable weather, shifting rainfall patterns, and rising global temperatures. Agriculture, deeply dependent on stable environmental conditions, is especially vulnerable. Climate change acts as a risk multiplier – creating new challenges and intensifying existing ones for farmers around the world.