Conventional coffee plantations are replacing wildlife habitat at an alarming rate, and have been for some time. Shade grown coffee, the original method of coffee farming, offers a promising alternative.

As the coffee beans mature more slowly in the shade, natural sugars increase and enhance the flavor of the coffee. Next to tobacco, coffee is sprayed with more chemicals than any other product consumed by humans, but shade grown coffee is most often organically grown, free of chemical use. Farmers who grow coffee in shady environments are promoting local wildlife populations, protecting bird habitat and using responsible and sustainable farming methods, using little or no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Coffee plants are grown in thick forests among giant trees which filter carbon dioxide and aid in soil moisture retention, minimizing erosion that is normally a formidable problem for clear cut coffee farmers. Migrating bird populations have been in rapid decline since the introduction of “sun” coffee and the consequent destruction of rainforest for more coffee plantations. As many as 150 species of birds have been identified on shade coffee farms.

Traditionally, all coffee was shade grown. Most varieties of coffee are actually quite intolerant of direct sunlight, and prefer a canopy of sun-filtering shade trees. The trees not only protect the coffee from direct sun, they also mulch the soil with their fallen leaves, helping to retain soil moisture.

In 1972, new hybrid varieties of coffee were developed to help increase production of the valuable crop. These new varieties produced significantly more coffee beans, were smaller and easier to harvest, and produced best in direct sunlight. As a result, many growers cut their shade trees and switched to the new varieties. Of the 6 million acres of coffee lands, 60% have been stripped of shade trees since 1972. Only the small, low-tech farms, often too poor to afford chemicals, preserved their shade trees.

Unfortunately, the new varieties of “sun” coffee came with an additional cost: they were dependent on high amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and it soon became apparent that this new method of growing coffee was unsustainable.  In fact it led to massive soil erosion and water runoff, as well as an estimated 20% decline in native bird populations due to habitat loss.

In 1996, the movement to support shade grown coffee was sparked by the Smithsonian Institute’s Migratory Bird Center, which gathered environmentalists, farmers and coffee companies to address the problem and promote awareness of shade coffee.