We're on a roll with the coffee research this week! Let's move right along, shall we?
So, what exactly are the benefits of organic coffee and should you pay more to get it?
After cotton and tobacco, coffee is the third most chemically treated crop in the world. Why? Because unlike in the "good old days" when farms were still small, to grow coffee now, in mass quantities for maximum profit, traditional coffee farmers clear large plots of land, mostly rainforest, where they can grow as much coffee as possible. This coffee then receives direct sunlight, which is something that has never before been done when growing coffee. Until the 1970s, coffee had traditionally been grown under shade trees, where it could thrive.
The coffee crops, when exposed to constant direct sunlight that they weren't meant to receive, become weak and much more susceptible to pests. Therefore, lots of chemicals are needed to keep them pest-free. Additionally, most coffee is produced in places in the world where chemicals are not regulated, so many of the chemicals that are being used are ones that we have banned here in the U.S. And what's more, growing all these coffee plants so closely together strips the soil of the nutrients the coffee plants need to stay healthy. Too many coffee plants in one area depletes the soil and the coffee plants aren't able to get all the nutrients that they need, making them even weaker still.
When I started researching organic coffee and learning all of this, I couldn't help but be reminded of CAFOs, or Confined Animal Feeding Operation. To mass-produce meat, we cram animals tightly together, in their own filth and most without room to turn around, and then we feed them things they've never eaten before; things we know they were not created to eat (based on their teeth/stomachs), and in turn, we have to compensate for all this unnatural stuff with antibiotics to keep them alive. It's all the same. We are essentially destroying the God-created natural system and replacing it with something completely unnatural in an effort to make the most money possible. As a Christian (and, well, a human being), this actually hurts me to my core. We have taken a beautifully designed system that has sustained us for thousands of years and because we are greedy, ruined it. Somewhere along the line we collectively decided maximum profits were more important than the health of this nation - no, of this world - and of the people and animals who inhabit it.
Okay, so chemicals, pesticides? We know these things are harmful. This isn't news. There is debate about how many of the pesticides make it into our cups of coffee each morning. Bananas, for example, are considered fine to buy non-organically as they have a thick, outer skin and few traces of pesticides make it into the bananas themselves. Some argue that because it's the outer coffee cherry that is exposed to the pesticides, by the time you remove the bean and then roast it, little if anything is left. Because there's no general consensus yet, I will choose to err on the side of caution and stick with coffee produced without the use of pesticides.
If environmental causes are more your thing, consider the damage we're doing to the world by growing coffee in this fashion. Chemicals and fertilizers damage the soil and pollute the local water supplies. They harm the families of the coffee farmers. It takes 37 gallons of water to produce one cup of conventional coffee. To make matters worse, this coffee is grown in countries with a water shortage.
The good news is that there is a lot being done to change all of this. If you buy coffee that is Rainforest Alliance Certified, you'll help contribute to a solution to this problem. Benefits of Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee include:
- Reduced water pollution
- Reduced soil erosion
- Reduced threats to the environment and human health
- Protected wildlife habitat
- Less water is produced
- Less water is used
- More efficient farm management
- Improved conditions for farm workers
- Improved profitability and competitiveness for farmers
- More collaboration between farmers and conservationists
Just look for their seal on the product you're buying:
If this isn't an option for you, the next best coffee is certified organic coffee. In order to be certified organic in the United States:
- It must be grown on land that wasn't exposed to synthetic pesticides for the preceding 3 years.
- A buffer must exist between the organic coffee and the closest conventional crop of coffee.
- It must have a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, depletion of soil nutrients and naturally control pests.
- Additionally, organic coffee is usually shade grown. This isn't required, but is usually the case as this is the best way to naturally control pests.
The Rainforest Alliance website is a great resource to find their certified products near you. They don't certify coffee alone, but lots of other products like bananas, cocoa, flowers, palm oil, tea and more.
All-in-all, I learned a lot this week about all the many benefits of organic coffee. From now on, we will certainly only be buying organic, but likely Rainforest Alliance Certified products. My husband is very environmental and I am very into healthy foods, so together I don't see how we could ever buy anything but. :)
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