"One cup of shadow coffee, please"

Dutch people consume the most cups of coffee per person per day worldwide, but intensifying the coffee sector increases the negative impact on biodiversity and the environment. Previous research showed that plantations with a lot of shade can contribute to supporting biodiversity. Can biodiversity on existing coffee plantations be restored by planting trees?

"It turns out that after switching to a co-called ‘shadow plantation’, the number of butterflies and their diversity will increase within a few years," says Vincent de Leijster, PhD candidate at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. "The number of epiphytes on the plantations also increase, which in turn attract birds and insects."

The planting of trees has more environmental benefits: coffee plantations with trees absorb more carbon than those without trees, and the foliage protects the soil from heavy rain and erosion.

A good price

But doesn’t more shade from trees make the coffee plants produce less coffee? “The production does decrease, but the coffee quality increases due to the shade,” explains De Leijster. This allows farmers to get a better price, and so shade does not lead to less income for the farmer. "Agroforestry, combining agriculture with forestry, can therefore be an important tool to improve biodiversity and environmental conditions, without high restoration costs."

The project Rehabilitating ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes through agroecological management practices is carried out by Vincent de Leijster in collaboration with Dr. Pita Verweij, Prof. Martin Wassen and Dr. Maria Santos.