Future Proofing Tea and Coffee

Anticipating the shifts in climate and the potential consequences of climate change is highly challenging, as it requires considering the potential impact of several variables, including precipitation, temperature, and variability. “We do know that there’s going to be more variability,” says Hannah Neuschwander, senior advisor, communications, World Coffee Research. “The frequency of extreme heat and weather is going to increase, and there’s good research showing that the frequency of simultaneous large climate events is overlapping.”

Investing in climate mitigation strategies and research has become vital to protect not only the livelihood of farmers but also the coffee and tea industries as a whole. “The narrative has changed, it used to be a farmer narrative focused on how to support the farmers, but now the industry is recognising the need to invest in itself,” said Christian Bunn, associate scientist, Alliance Bioversity and CIAT. Integrating adaptive practices has a long lead time; it’s not
just a matter of flipping a switch. It is a multi-decade process that requires the commitment of the entire industry to have a sustainable, positive impact. 

“Our entire value chain relies on this delicate ecological balance and there’s lots of environmental factors that influence qualities and yields. The sustained production of tea in many of the country of origins are already experiencing the consequences of climate change,” said Gareth Mead, chief communications & sustainability officer, LIPTON Teas and Infusions. “So, although tea is a low carbon beverage, it’s incumbent upon ourselves and the whole industry to show that there is action that can be taken, and where we can, help mitigate the impact of climate change.”

Developing More Resilient Systems

A key priority for Colombia was to strengthen its production systems, including continuing to invest in breeding programs and conducting research on shade trees, such as determining which species to plant and the optimal spatial distribution of the trees. “We did a lot of studies on the economics of maintaining those plants, because in the end, it’s money that the farmer has
to invest in,” explained Alvaro Gaitan, director of science and technology research, Cenicafé (the National Coffee Research Center of Colombia) ,
part of the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers.

Data collection has become an integral part of their strategy to both deepen their understanding of the factors that are currently happening and help better predict future risks. “We have a network of weather stations across the country,” said Gaitan. “It’s not only about having that information but then being able to translate that information into recommendations for the farmer.” The information acquired is used to create monthly bulletins that include recommendations for each zone in Colombia, which farmers can then use to minimise the impacts of the weather.

Developing resilient and productive strains remains a core focus for Cenicafé, which includes setting up experimental stations across the country to deepen its understanding of how the plant responds in varying environmental conditions. “This gives us a lot of information because when you have all of these different environments, and you find lines that behave really well in all of these places, then you know that those lines are really attractive,” said Gaitan.
“In Colombia’s varieties, we don’t use a single kind of genetic plant; we use a multi-line variety or a composite variety.” This strategy helps farmers obtain plants that thrive in a range of climate conditions, enhancing the overall adaptability of their farm while ensuring a stable income for the farmer.

One of the significant risks of climate change, shared Neuschwander, is supply stability. Large scale investments in several places across the coffee sector are one of the best ways to mitigate that risk. “Productivity is probably the most
important thing that we’re looking at, but we’re looking at it through the lens of adaptability,” she said. This includes examining how productivity is affected in various growing environments, as well as how genetics interact with the environment to influence productivity, cup quality, and disease resistance.

“One of the things that the coffee sector needs to be resilient in the face of climate change, and I’m speaking as the sector as a whole, not as from the
perspective of individual farmers, is more stable coffee supplies from lots of places,” she said. “If we’re only reliant on one place and production tanks, then we’re in big trouble.” WCR’s global breeding networks, which involve partnerships with 11 countries, focus on evaluating breeding materials worldwide. This collaborative approach to research helps speed up innovation.

In 2022, World Coffee Research(WCR) launched the Arabica Global Breeding Network. Building on the same principles established with the Arabica Network, WCR will launch the Robusta breeding program in November. “We are using materials that haven’t been used before in crossing. We are working hand in hand in partnership with governments that produce a lot of Robusta coffee,”
said Neuschwander. “And we are supporting their scientists to access and evaluate these materials and then upgrade their capacity in breeding to be
able to utilise them for their own future breeding.”

Focusing on Carbon Reduction

LIPTON Teas and Infusions conducted a detailed baseline project based on its market emissions from 2021.“The project revealed that 75 percent of our entire carbon emissions come from the sourcing of the raw ingredients, the botanical ingredients that go into the tea that we serve,” said Mead. Conversely, its manufacturing operations, which encompass processing facilities and offices worldwide, account for four percent of total emissions. “In 2024, we had 100 percent of all of our processing sites achieve zero waste to landfill, so although we made progress in terms of our own operations, it’s not really touching the needle”, said Mead. “What we really need to do as an industry is make changes in the way that the botanical ingredients themselves are produced.” 

This continual use of fertiliser depletes the overall health of the soil, resulting in plants that have become reliant on external inputs to increase productivity, making it highly challenging for farmers to shift their practices. Adopting strategies, which include precision application of fertiliser and shifting to non-synthetic inputs, can positively reduce carbon emissions without having a negative impact on the yield.

Improving Access to Information

One of the key decisions in a coffee producer’s lifetime is selecting the coffee varieties to use in their production. “We had this opportunity to work with WCR to analyse some of their trial data that they produced and then use an analogue approach to show the most climatically closest trial site to the location of interest, and then the varieties which work best at that location and which are then most likely to also work for your location,” said Bunn.

CIAT, will launch the Café Clima web platform. This modelling system, which will be available in both English and Spanish, brings together the data from WCR’s coffee variety trial with climate modelling data from CIAT to help farmers and
technicians determine the best-suited variety for a climate-changed future. The system will provide the farmer and/or technician with a variety of factors, including climate data, yield, and disease resistance, to help make an informed
decision on which varietals to use for both the current climate and the predicted future climate.

“Access to information is a key barrier within the industry, so the hope is that through providing our information systems, we can reduce those knowledge barriers,” said Bunn. However, Bunn stresses that equipping the farmer with knowledge is only the first step in the process. Several factors may prevent
producers from implementing the recommendations, including limited access to seedling material and insufficient resources to invest in renovation and adaptive strategies. 

A Call for Collaboration 

LIPTON Teas and Infusions is reinvesting the proceeds from the sales of its estates into the tea industry in East Africa, including funding, training and skills development at the University of Kabianga, at the Lipton Tea Academy. At this adjunct facility, LIPTON is funding training programs and courses for farmers at all levels of the industry, from small scale farmers to workers at large estates. A core education component includes providing farmers with strategies to reduce carbon emissions, including integrated pest management, reducing agrochemical use, and reducing dependency on synthetic fertilisers. The new Africa Tea Industry Progress Foundation manages the use of proceeds from
the sale of the former Lipton Estates. This charitable organisation independently determines where to invest its funding.

Addressing the climate challenge requires the support and collaboration of the entire industry; this includes open access to research and working together to develop sustainable solutions. LIPTON has an open invitation to small, medium, or large businesses that have solutions to address some of these challenges and mitigate the impact of climate change. “The Africa Tea Industry Progress Foundation is looking to ensure that funding goes into creating long-term, sustained change,” said Mead.

• Anne-Marie Hardie is a freelance writer, professor and speaker based in Barrie, Ontario. She may be reached at: [email protected].