Changes in Ethiopian Coffee Growing Regions | Price of Ethiopian Coffee Beans per Half Pound

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Most of the coffee we drink today is made from Arabica coffee beans. Ethiopia is not only an important producing region for Arabica coffee beans but also Africa's largest producer of Arabica coffee beans. Locally, 15 million people depend on it for their livelihood, making it an important economic pillar.

However, climate change, including rising temperatures and reduced rainfall, is gradually impacting the coffee bean industry. According to NPR reports, in some regions of Ethiopia, spring and summer rainfall has already decreased by 15% to 20% compared to the 1970s. In the southwestern region of Gore, rainfall has decreased by 40 inches compared to the 1950s. The proportion of droughts is increasing, affecting coffee bean harvests.

According to the journal "Natural Plants," affected by climate change, Ethiopia's coffee bean production may decrease by 39% to 59%. Aaron Davis, a scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London, said: "Climate change impacts Ethiopia's coffee farmers first and foremost." He mentioned that many farmers have already told him about reduced harvest yields.

In 2015, when Davis was in Ethiopia, he witnessed firsthand the impact of drought on the local area. "When we arrived, a large area of coffee-growing farmland was completely dead," he said. Since 1910, coffee production in the Harar region has been consistently high, "but now it seems to have reached a critical point."

Potential Solutions

Are there solutions? Some might suggest that farmers could move their crops to other locations. Currently, Ethiopia's coffee trees are mostly grown at altitudes between 1,200 and 2,200 meters. With current problems arising, perhaps they could be moved to higher altitudes for cultivation. Moreover, despite facing climate challenges, if relocation is possible with supporting measures, there might still be potential for expanding cultivation.

However, easier said than done.

"It's simple on paper—just move the crops uphill," Davis said. "But this requires significant effort, resources, and manpower." Most Ethiopian farmers lack these resources.

Local coffee expert Wondyifraw Tefera believes that Ethiopia's coffee-growing regions will still shrink. Although coffee trees are being pushed to higher altitudes, this still cannot compensate for the lost growing areas.

But at least Ethiopia has this option. Peter Laderach, a scientist at the Vietnam Tropical Agriculture Center, points out that not all coffee-producing countries have the conditions to move coffee trees to higher altitudes. "Looking globally, the areas suitable for growing coffee trees will decrease in the future," he said. However, he also mentioned that beyond climate, factors like pests and diseases must also be considered.

Farmers' Livelihood Challenges

Whether we have coffee to drink is one thing, but how will local farmers survive? Davis, Tefera, and Laderach all believe that farmers should switch to growing other crops.

In fact, some local farmers have already done so. Many have switched to growing khat, a profitable and drought-resistant crop originating from East Africa, whose leaves can be made into drugs. Compared to growing coffee, khat brings three to four times more profit.

Some farmers have switched to growing corn, but since coffee trees originally grew under the shade of large trees, switching to corn requires clearing the large trees, which instead causes environmental problems such as deforestation and soil erosion.

Perhaps consideration could be given to transplanting coffee trees to currently deforested high-altitude areas, combined with planting larger trees. This could increase forest vegetation coverage while also helping local farmers' livelihoods.

Conclusion

The problem of climate affecting crop growth is not new, and coffee is not the only victim. Although the accompanying problems may seem far in the future, only by making changes starting from this moment can they be solved.

Ethiopian Coffee Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Ethiopian coffee beans offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide extremely high value for money—a half-pound (227 grams) package costs only about 90 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to coffee shops selling cups for over a hundred yuan, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

Important Notice :

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