Coffee, Conservation, and Rainforest Alliance Certification: Opportunities for Indian coffee

摘要

As the Indian coffee industry strides into the 21st century, two global trends are worth noting. First, the increasing awareness globally that coffee, especially where traditionally grown under the shade of native tree species, offers an opportunity for conservation of wildlife, forest and tree cover within agricultural landscapes. Scientific evidence that coffee can benefit conservation and, conversely, that conservation of natural forests, biodiversity and native shade trees in farms can directly benefit coffee production is accumulating from studies across the tropics from Costa Rica to Sulawesi and Mexico to India. Second, as the most-traded commodity after oil, coffee too is coming under the increased scrutiny of the informed buyer and sustainability-conscious consumer. The desire to know where coffee comes from, how it is grown, and purchase only sustainably-produced coffee that enhances the lives of farming communities and conserves the natural environment has spurred a burgeoning market powered by consumer demand. Roasters, retailers,coffee chains, and consumers are increasingly looking to source coffee from farms that are certified as sustainable through credible third-party certification programmes, particularly Rainforest Alliance certification.