 |
|
Reagan Walker - Staff Thursday, May 24, 2001 For many, it's just not morning without a cup of joe and a chorus of songbirds. But those who love the melodies of warblers and thrushes may want to closely investigate what's in their cup. The conversion of shady coffee farms to higher-yield sunny fields is robbing neotropical songbirds of their habitats, endangering many species. So concerned consumers are seeking out shade-grown coffee beans, which are becoming more common in coffee shops and grocery stores. Those willing to pay $1 to $2 more a pound for shade-grown beans most likely will be rewarded with a high-quality cup of coffee. But whether it was grown in an environment good for birds is less of a sure thing. As it turns out, there's shade and then there's bird-friendly shade. But there's no industry standard or government rule on what the label "shade-grown" should mean. "It's extremely confusing for the consumer because there is no universal certification in place," said Jane Brann, a member of the shade-grown coffee committee of the Atlanta Audubon Society. The group has created a list of places shade-grown coffee can be purchased locally or on the Internet. About a third of migratory birds that breed in the United States spend winter in coffee-growing areas of the Caribbean and Latin America. But as revealed in this week's AJC series "Georgia's Disappearing Songbirds," some 40 percent of the 6.9 million acres planted in coffee from Mexico to Colombia has been replaced by open groves of higher-yielding, fast-growing coffee. The loss of these habitats is one reason for the steep population declines in many songbird species. Thus the demand by those concerned for shade-grown coffee, which makes up 8 percent to 10 percent of the specialty coffee market. But environmental advocates say some coffee producers, sensing the growing cachet of shade-grown varieties, may simply plant short, fast-growing trees and plants to provide shade in an otherwise sunny field. Though that may provide shade for the bean, it doesn't provide a diverse habitat that songbirds thrive in. "That's the problem with shade grown," said Don Holly, administrative director of the Speciality Coffee Association of America. "There's a lot of ambiguity, and there's a lot of contention throughout the industry." The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has created a certification program intended to define what good shade coffee is from the standpoint of a bird habitat. It has trademarked a seal that can be used to designate a coffee "bird friendly." The 2-year-old program has certified a relatively small number of coffee providers, but the center is training more inspectors. (For the list of those certified, see www.natzoo.si.edu/smbc/Research/Coffee/roasterlist.htm.) There are a few other verification programs, like one organized by the Rainforest Alliance. But each program often has a slightly different agenda --- from fair trade to worker conditions to environmental impact --- and different definitions for shade. "We'd like to see the industry adopt some standard criteria, whether it's ours or some other," said Robert Rice, a geographer at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Betsy Buckley, owner of Atlanta's three Aurora Coffee shops, said the issues are complex because so many countries and cultures are involved. And although certification may be good consumer protection, she's concerned that the cost of the process will rule out many small farmers --- the very ones more likely to be growing shade coffee. She'd like to see the industry not only agree on what the term "shade grown" means, but also help fund the certification program so small farmers don't get left out. Until then, she works closely with her roaster and suppliers, at times even visiting coffee farms, to help ensure the coffees she promotes as shade-grown truly are. "Right now, the (number of) folks who are able to put a label on a particular coffee and be certain it is shade-grown is few and far between, but it is growing," said Buckley. "I really believe in five years it will be a lot easier to put your hands on shade-grown coffee and be confident." Until then, consumers concerned about bird habitats are left to do more than read labels. "If someone is selling shade coffee and that is all you are told" said Holly, "then I'd say, 'Tell me more.' Ask them how they know." > ON THE WEB: Our disappearing songbirds: www.ajc.com SHADE-GROWN COFFEE SOURCES IN METRO ATLANTA | |||||||
.gif){kind=spacer}