Impact of climate change on coffee production: An overview

Abstract

The impacts from climate change are already widespread and the consequences have been witnessed all around the world. India is among the countries most affected by climate change according to Global Climate Risk Index (2017) and in particular the southern states where coffee is grown. Coffee is the second largest traded commodity in the world next to petroleum products. The major producing countries are Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico, India and Guatemala, whose economies earn considerable foreign exchange from the export of coffee. These countries are facing local and global impacts of climate change over the decades as any fluctuations in temperature, rainfall, humidity, soil nutrients, moisture, sunlight, aeration and soil temperature could impact the growth and productivity of coffee plants. Hence, adaption of mitigation strategies involving actions to reduce global warming is an important option to overcome the impact of climate variations on coffee production.