This article recounts findings from the CDC in which coffee roasting facilities are shown to have high levels of diacetyl, which is associated with lung disease.

Value chain upgrading interventions have emerged in recent years as a dominant approach to rural development. In coffee value chains, upgrading opportunities are presented by the growth in consumption of specialty coffees, which are associated with direct engagement with producer communities by roasting firms, along with an apparent increased commitment to social responsibility. Known in the industry as “relationship coffee”, such interventions align with a value chain approach to development and are promoted as offering upgrading opportunities for otherwise marginalized rural communities. In this article, we critique the dominant development discourse of relationship coffee in Indonesia via three case studies of livelihoods and local agrarian dynamics across three coffee-growing communities on the islands of Sulawesi, Bali and Java. We find that the relationship coffee model does present opportunities for producer upgrading. However, these benefits have been subsequently captured by key individuals within the producer community who are able to accumulate wealth and consolidate their social position. As it is currently implemented in Indonesia, the relationship coffee model has reproduced local patterns of inequality rather than contributing to poverty alleviation efforts. These insights suggest the urgent need to develop a critical political economy of upgrading in the global value chain and rural development literature.

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The study aims to explore the challenges faced by Ugandan coffee farmers in using mobile phones for agricultural purposes. The researchers conducted a qualitative study involving interviews with 30 coffee farmers in Uganda. The study found that while mobile phones are increasingly being used by coffee farmers in Uganda, they face several challenges that hinder their effectiveness.

The study identified several challenges related to access and connectivity, including limited network coverage in rural areas, lack of electricity to charge phones, and high costs of airtime and data. The researchers also noted that many farmers lack the necessary skills and knowledge to fully utilize mobile phones for agricultural purposes, such as accessing market information and weather forecasts. The study recommends several measures to address these challenges, including expanding network coverage in rural areas, providing training and education on mobile phone usage for agricultural purposes, and developing mobile phone applications tailored to the needs of coffee farmers.

Overall, the study highlights the potential benefits of mobile phones for agricultural development in Uganda but also underscores the importance of addressing the challenges that hinder their effectiveness.

The valorization of the spent coffee grounds (SCGs) has attracted a lot of attention recently from both the academia and industry. The development of an economically attractive and environmentally sustainable process based on available experimental data on the SCGs valorization has not been investigated in the open literature. This is clearly a very important issue and is the subject of the present work. Evidence is presented to support the conclusion that the economic performance of the process can be acceptable only at large production capacities realized at centralized facilities. In addition, it is shown, using a “gate-to-gate” Life Cycle Assessment (LCI), that the environmental performance of the process is acceptable and the process can be considered sustainable. Further research is necessary in the area of efficient recovery of the bioactive compounds available in SCGs. These compounds have a significant added value that can render the process economically attractive at capacities that are low enough to be practically realizable.

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This study assesses the issue- attention cycle of coffee production in India and Nicaragua, including producer concerns and responses over time to concerns (sustainability standards, public regulations and development projects). Systematic comparison of the socioeconomic, environmental and policy context in both countries is then used to explore potential effects of sustainability standards. Results show limits, in local context, to relevance of global certification approaches: in both countries due to naturally high levels of biodiversity within coffee production systems global standards are easily met. They do not provide recognition for the swing potential (difference between best and worst) and do not raise the bar of environmental outcomes though nationally biodiversity declines. Nicaraguan regulations have focused on the socioeconomic development of the coffee sector via strengthening producer organizations, while India prioritized environmental and biodiversity conservation. In India, externally driven sustainability standards partially replace the existing producer–buyer relationship while in Nicaragua standards are desired by producer organizations. The temporal comparison shows that recently local stakeholders harness improvements through their unique local value propositions: the ‘small producer’ symbol in Nicaragua and certification of geographic origin in India. Nicaragua builds on the strength of its smallholder sector while India builds on its strength of being home to a global biodiversity hotspot.

The feasibility of using spent coffee ground (SCG) as a new bulking agent for biodrying of dewatered sludge (DS) was investigated in comparison with two other frequently-used bulking agents, air-dried sludge (AS) and sawdust (SD). Results showed that the moisture contents (MC) of 16-day DS biodrying with AS (Trial A), SCG (Trial B) and SD (Trial C) decreased from 70.14 wt%, 68.25 wt% and 71.63 wt% to 59.12 wt%, 41.35 wt% and 57.69 wt%, respectively. In case of Trial B, the MC rapidly decreased to 46.16 wt% with the highest water removal (70.87%) within 8 days because of the longest high-temperature period (5.8 days). Further studies indicated that the abundant biodegradable volatile solids (BVS) and high dissolved organic matter (DOM) contents in SCG were the main driving forces for water removal. According to pyrosequencing data, Firmicutes, most of which were recognized as thermophiles, was rapidly enriched on Day 8 and became the dominant phylum in Trial B. Four thermophilic genera, Bacillus, Ureibacillus, Geobacillus and Thermobifida, which can produce thermostable hydrolytic extracellular enzymes, were the most abundant in Trial B, indicating that these thermophilic bacteria evolved during the long high-temperature period enhanced the biodegradation of BVS in SCG. The 8-day biodried product of Trial B was demonstrated to be an excellent solid fuel with low heating value (LHV) of 9284 kJ kg−1, which was 2.1 and 1.8 times those of biodried products with AS and SD, respectively. Thus SCG was found to be an excellent bulking agent accelerating DS biodrying and producing a solid fuel with a high calorific value.

What has driven tens of thousands of Salvadorans to leave home, many for the U.S.? El Salvador's coffee beans suffered a devastating disease five years ago, and now face an even greater existential threat: climate change. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on how researchers there are trying to develop a plant that can adapt to warming global temperatures.

The response of coffee ( Coffea arabica L.) agronomical performance to changes in climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO 2 ]) is uncertain. Improving our understanding of potential responses of the coffee plant to these changes while taking into consideration agricultural management is required for identifying best-bet adaptation strategies. A mechanistic crop modelling approach enables the inclusion of a wide range of prior knowledge and an evaluation of assumptions. We adapt a model by connecting it to spatially variable soil and climate data, by which we are able to calculate yield of rain-fed coffee on a daily time-step. The model takes account of variation in microclimate and water use as influenced by shade trees. The approach is exemplified at two East African sites with distinctly different climates (Mt. Elgon, Uganda, and Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania) using a global sensitivity analysis for evaluation of model behavior and prior parameter uncertainty assessment. We use the climate scenario driven by the Hadley Global Environment Model 2-Earth System representative for the year 2050 to discuss potential responses of the coffee plant to interactions of elevated [CO 2 ], temperature, and water availability. We subsequently explore the potential for adaptation to this scenario through shade management. The results indicate that under current climatic conditions optimal shade cover at low elevations (1000?m.a.s.l.) is 50%, provided soil water storage capacity is sufficient, enabling a 13.5% increase in coffee yield compared to unshaded systems. Coffee plants are expected to be severely impacted (ranging from 18% to 32% coffee yield reductions) at low elevations by increased temperature (+2.5?�C) and drought stress when no elevated [CO 2 ] is assumed. Water competition between coffee and shade trees are projected to be a severe limitation in the future, requiring careful selection of appropriate shade tree species or the adoption of other technologies like conservation measures or irrigation. The [CO 2 ]-fertilization effect could potentially mitigate the negative effect of temperature increase and drought stress up to 13�21% depending on site conditions and will increase yield at higher altitudes. High uncertainty remains regarding impacts of climate change on flowering. The presented model allows for estimating the optimal shade level along environmental gradients now and in the future. Overall, it shows that shade proves to be an important adaptation strategy, but this requires improved understanding regarding site-specific management and selection of tree species. Moreover, we do not yet include climate change uncertainty.

This article focuses on the factors which influence the uptake of microfinance by smallholder coffee farmers in Tharaka Nithi county, Kenya. These programs have long been targeting farmers as a tool able to enhance farmers’ economic security. However, despite the benefits offered by these programs, the authors identified a low uptake rate of microfinance in this specific region. The objective of this article is to identify the socio economic and demographic factors that affects farmers’ decision of taking or not taking the opportunity of microfinance. The study analysis data collected from 390 coffee farmers through questionnaires. Results are presented according to five different variables: numbers of years of experience, gender of the household head, number of trees, coffee yields and the frequency of contact with extension services. Findings indicate that farmers with a longer experience of coffee production are less likely to adopt credit, while women-headed household have a higher adoption of these programs. For number of coffee trees and yields, farmers with more trees and higher yields were benefitting from a microfinance scheme. Finally, farmers looking for extension services are less likely to take credit. This research article is particularly interesting for coffee experts and filed officers implementing microfinance services in different producing countries.

Starbucks' approach to developing LEED certified stores.

Webpage dedicated to first and third-party publications relevant to climate change, deforestation, and measuring impact from Rainforest Alliance.

First Watch and Royal Cup collaborated to form the a program that purchased single-origin coffee from a women-led organization in Columbia, Mujeres en Cafe. First Watch will be purchasing coffee from these women farmers at a premium hoping to empower them to make sustainble change in their lives, family, and communities.

Open-source research article analyzing and discussing the growing coffee supply chain in Vietnam and how it can be sustainably managed. Challenges are arising for coffee producers due to processing infrastructure limitations, deforestation, and soil degradation.