“Coffee Agriculture replaced nearly 2 Millions hectares of forest between 2001 and 2015.”

With demand soaring and production projected to triple by 2050, intensive monoculture poses a significant threat to biodiversity as it continues to degrade land and forest ecosystems at a concerning rate.

Nearly 2 Mha of forest were replaced by coffee plantations between 2001 and 2015, of which 1.1 Mha were for robusta coffee and 0.8 Mha were for arabica coffee.

Forest replacement by robusta coffee was most prevalent in Indonesia (33 percent of the global total), followed by Brazil (16 percent), Madagascar (14 percent), and Vietnam (12 percent). Forest replacement by arabica coffee was most prevalent in Brazil (36 percent), Peru (20 percent), and Colombia (8 percent).

*Rubber data is only available for Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.**Wood fiber data is only available for Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Rwanda, South Africa, and Vietnam.

Source: “Deforestation Linked to Agriculture Indicator.” Global Forest Review, updated April 4, 2024. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Available online at https://research.wri.org/gfr/forest-extent-indicators/deforestation-agriculture.

Navigating unsustainable cycles

It’s interesting to see how these challenges intensify as the model persists.

This short-sighted model combined with rising global temperatures, soil degradation, and increased ecological disturbances has contributed to lower yields, since coffee plants are particularly vulnerable to environmental fluctuations —especially extreme heat, unusual rainfalls and prolonged droughts.

As the amount of land suitable for arabica coffee cultivation continues to shrink, it places additional pressure on forests cleared to expand coffee plantations, fueling a vicious cycle of environmental degradation and social disparities.

Text & Images by Brahim Djiddah