#13 | July 16, 2020

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Back in Episode 10, we noted that the inaugural Ethiopian Cup of Excellence competition was undeterred by the global pandemic, achieving a record number of both entries to the competition and buyers to the auction. The auction, which took place on June 25, also broke the record for total auction sales, raising US$1,248,690 across 28 lots. The previous record, US$830,245, was achieved during a 2011 El Salvador auction of 42 lots. The top-scoring coffee, a naturally processed coffee variety released by the Jimma Research Center in 1978, was grown by Niguse Gemeda Mude from Hayisa in Sidama. It achieved the highest price ever recorded for Ethiopian coffee, US$185.10 per pound or US$407 per kilo. While these prices appear to validate the investments and associated risks of quality, the ongoing climate crisis and global pandemic are a dual-threat to Ethiopia’s coffee production. For example, Central and South American farmers are experiencing disruption directly to this year’s harvest, particularly due to COVID-19 restrictions on the movement of skilled farm labor, but the Ethiopian harvest typically peaks in November-December. The Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority reports that COVID-19 is currently disrupting farmers’ ability to apply inputs like fertilizers to their farms, the impact of which will probably be felt in future production across both quantity and quality.

Meanwhile in Kenya, The Standard reports that coffee farmers in Kiambu, Githunguru, and Komothai have uprooted their coffee trees in protest of poor earnings. According to those interviewed, the farmers recently received US$0.13 per kilo for coffee that cost US$0.33 per kilo to produce. Citing a lack of support from cooperatives and county officials, the farmers highlighted that where they would have once received support in the form of fertilizers and tools, they now must look for access to loans to improve their farms--but even these, too, are now unavailable. They also pointed to significant delays in payments both to farmers and to mill workers as a source of concern. Those who have uprooted their trees have planted vegetables and avocados instead, while others are simply burning their trees for charcoal or leaving them unattended.

A new study published in Global Change Biology suggests that Robusta is far more sensitive to temperature than previously thought. Built on 10 years of yield observations on almost 800 farms across Southeast Asia, the study suggests that the optimal temperature for Robusta is 20.5C, considerably lower than previously suggested optimal temperatures. The current estimates, which indicate a higher temperature tolerance, are based on historical botanical explorations in Central Africa. Worryingly, the study also reported that for every one-degree increase over this optimal temperature, yields decrease by 14 percent. One of the study’s lead authors, Jarrod Kath, says the results call for a reassessment of how we can adapt coffee production to climate change.

World Coffee Research has conducted a global consultation, encompassing nearly 140 interviews and 896 survey responses, to direct a five-year strategy for the organization. The summary of the consultation identifies four common global priorities: farmer profitability, origin diversity, quality, and climate adaptation. It also identifies research and development interests of coffee stakeholders by region, which include better access to improved varieties in Latin America, improved pest and disease control in Africa, and Robusta production in Asia. “Climate change is the defining issue of our time,” wrote World Coffee Research CEO Vern Long in a press release announcing the results of the consultation. “Everything agricultural R&D does must be oriented to address it and build resilience and diversity into coffee production systems.”

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