Coffee Plant (Coffea arabica) The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen dicotyledon that belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Coffea arabica known as Arabica coffee accounts for 75-80% of the world's production. The coffee plant can grow to heights of 10 meters if not pruned, but producing countries will maintain the coffee at a height reasonable for easy harvesting.

For Arabica coffee there are two optimal growing climates: 1.The subtropical regions, at latitudes of 16-24°. Rainy and dry seasons must be well defined, and altitude must be between feet. 2. The equatorial regions at latitudes lower than 10° and altitudes of feet. Frequent rainfall causes almost continuous flowering, which results in two harvesting seasons.

Coffee Growing Regions Worldwide

Germinating Coffee Seeds Coffee Seedlings

Coffee fruit, both ripe (red) and unripe (green).

A Typical “Sun Coffee” Plantation

Ecological Consequences of Coffee Farming Typical coffee plantations are often monocultures of coffee plants. These plantations are designed with the idea that the maximum number of plants will maximize the production of coffee beans/acre of ground. Because they are monocultures, they are very devastating to the ecosystem. There is virtually no diversity or good habitat for animals.

Sun coffee requires large amounts of weed killers and other pesticides because they need to be maintained as a monoculture. The rainforest naturally wants to revert back to it’s natural state, so expensive treatments are needed to keep it from going through it’s pattern of ecological succession.

Shade Coffee: An Environmental Solution The coffee plant evolved in Africa under the rainforest canopy and grows best in the shade. A traditional coffee farm can provide habitat to varied birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, insects, trees and flowering plants. About 200 different species of birds are known as neotropical migrants, breeding in the habitat and backyards of North America and migrating south to Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Islands for the winter.

Shade Coffee Plantations Recently Planted 7-8 Years Old (2-3 years)

The entire hill in the background is part of a shade coffee plantation.

The Baltimore Oriole, Painted Bunting, and Yellow Warbler. Just three of many birds that Find vital habitat in shade Coffee plantations.

An estimated 25 million people grow coffee, most of them on small plots of land. Many, perhaps most, smallholders are organic farmers by tradition, in part because they could never afford to purchase pesticides or fertilizers. Consumers and Coffee How can we coffee lovers know if the beans we drink come from farms that are environmentally friendly and socially responsible?

The only way to know for sure is to seek out credible labels such as Rainforest Alliance Certified, which guarantees that farms are on the path toward true sustainability, and qualified organic labels, which guarantee that farms are not using harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Savoring a cup of certified sustainable coffee can improve livelihoods for farm families and conserve wildlife and tropical ecosystems - a rare "win-win" opportunity.