I'm wondering if anyone here is knowledgeable about pesticide use in coffee production. A lot of articles say coffee is one of the most heavily sprayed crops on the planet. But I'm guessing they're referring to the mass produced Robusta. I prefer to avoid pesticides and generally buy organic food. And while I know I can get certified organic coffee as well I do like trying a variety of blends and SOs. So I'm wondering how much pesticides are used on the small farm or direct trade arabicas. I imagine it is expensive to get certified so I'm thinking not everyone bothers.

Good question!

Tim Wendelboes does briefly mention the use of chemicals in the videos about the farm he's trying to start. It sounds like many of the farmers he works with do use "chemicals" of some kind, although it's not clear if that's to do with fertilisation or the use of pesticides.

His own attempts at starting a chemical-free farm aren't going all that well yet, it seems he has issues with e.g. ants eating up parts of his trees (which suggests pesticides are going to be common). And he seems to be putting in a lot of effort to get anything growing (although part of that seems to be around building up soil fertility).

On the other hand I can remember buying coffees from other scandianvian roasters that were grown using "organic principles" (aka they ddn't want to bother with certification). However there were only specific coffees that were organic, most aren't specifically highlighted as being organic (so I'm guessing they weren't).

I wonder if different growing locations and climates affect what kind of pesticides and other chemicals might need to be used?

Anecdotal only. Within the industry, you will hear discussions re: Ethiopian coffees, while not certified, are chemical free due to the prohibitive cost of fertilizers/herbicides/pesticides.

RE: Central Amer - Large Estates probably employ them given their capital. Small coops? My experience was with small coops (corn/rice/beans) and the chemical inputs were cost prohibitive. That well may be true with coffee as well.

Note that USDA certified organic does not by any means mean no pesticides. Just limits which ones, and there's still some nasty ones that qualify. I can't speak to the certifications elsewhere.

Mitch,

Thank you for pointing out that fact.

Rocky

From my limited visits to coffee farms in Hawaii, the biggest insect threat is the Coffee Cherry Borer Beetle. It is a tiny bug that bores into coffee cherries to lay eggs. It is endemic to africa, but has spread to virtually all coffee growing regions, including Hawaii in 2010. Pesticides are not effective against this insect once it lays eggs.

Many of the organic coffee growers on Hawaii have taken to using traps to deal with the borer-beetles. Just simple contraption with a sweet liquid inside to attract and drown the bugs. They also have to strip the trees and clean up all the fruit on the ground to keep the bugs under control. I think one operator mentioned they sprayed the trees with a naturally occurring fungus that is harmless to the tree and fruit but bad for the beetle.

Coffee also has a number of fungus problems that can be deal with by fungicides or in some cases, just spraying with detergents or other common materials.

I think large operations are less likely to use traps for the amount of labor involved. It is a lot cheaper to spray pesticides than to hang bait traps all over a huge orchard. In places where labor is cheap and plentiful, who knows.

The vast majority of coffee grown in the world is not organic, nor particularly well-farmed. Commodity crop, quantity over quality is the rule.

Vidio wrote:I'm wondering if anyone here is knowledgeable about pesticide use in coffee production. A lot of articles say coffee is one of the most heavily sprayed crops on the planet. But I'm guessing they're referring to the mass produced Robusta. I prefer to avoid pesticides and generally buy organic food. And while I know I can get certified organic coffee as well I do like trying a variety of blends and SOs. So I'm wondering how much pesticides are used on the small farm or direct trade arabicas. I imagine it is expensive to get certified so I'm thinking not everyone bothers.

This is a vast subject, so let me try to put a few things in context.
1)Coffee is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world.. yes
2) Think of every " cide" you can think of
Pesticide
Fugicide
Insecticide
Herbicide
Synthetic fertilizers( probably the most harmful aspect in that the nitrogen is not " fixed" and drains downhill into the water system
Of course add Glyoshpate to this cocktail
Birdicide( to prevent birds from eating the berries) Yes believe it or not they use this too!!
3) which "cides" are these, they are.. Malathion, Diazanon, Fuginex,2-4D-3D,Copper Phosphates, Tri-phosphates..you get the idea
Conventional farming is also very destructive of the ecosystem, some farms will grow coffee tree varieties that grow in full sun and the cost of denuding vast swaths of forest.

When I was in Mexico I saw things that were shocking... I won't elaborate.
Many chemicals ,pesticides and highly contaminated fertilizers that would be illegal in the USA/ Canada are " dumped" on 3rd world countries.
The harm to the ecosystem, flora, fauna and the people is just quite frankly unconscionable if you saw it with your own eyes, rather than me or an article you would also come to different conclusions about " Conventional" agriculture.
If you are really curious, go there and see it for yourself.


Many people are unaware of the link between cancer and pesticide exposure, that is now very well documented. So why invite the risk by eating contaminated foods?

There is an in between category....
The " Conventional Farm" that is not yet certified..there are also many farms and cooperatives that have yet to receive certification for various reasons, sometimes its the simple fact that they do not have the money to " pay" for that. Some countries have worked that issue out by removing the " cost" of certification.
Some farms / plantations will use pesticides, but with careful restraint, aware that they too will be drinking the well water.

The Organic farms fall into many categories, some USDA certified, some by SOOPA, some by the Demeter institute( if it is " Bio- Dynamically farmed) and some by the EU
The next level is Organically grown, shade grown, in which the farm is trying to integrate the whole growing structure as an integrated part of the ecosystem
The top most " ethical" farm is , Organically grown, Certified, Shade Grown/ Bird friendly/ Fair Trade or " Beyond Fair Trade( Farmers get 50% of the profits)

What does it mean to " buy organic"?
It means that
1) you have eliminated at least one source of food that is not contaminated with chemicals( ones that are harmful to your health)
2) often the taste and quality is vastly superior
3) you are supporting and ethical form of agriculture that is not contributing to the demise of the Tropics at the cost of you " enjoying your cuppa joe"
4) your coffee enjoyment is not " contributing to the exploitation cycle/ dynamic in the 3rd world.
5) most of our coffee comes from the worlds poorest countries, it helps that if your buying choice has helped the hard working people of that place in the world to at least get lifes basic needs for a fair price for their labors.

Lastly if you can ever manage, connect locally with one of your coffee roasters that takes that trip to Guatemala , Honduras, Mexico, Thailand , Ethiopia and actually meets/ encounters these farmers and makes a direct connection with the grower.
We are very fortunate here in Vancouver that many of our Roasters do that or connect with the " green bean" company that does the direct sourcing.

Organic can be a little more expensive especially the African beans, but for me it is more than worth it.
In closing, many of the things I have said will raise a big polemic and will be argued with, in the end, do your own research. Don't believe me, find out for yourself.
The good news is that many late comers like Columbia and Brazil( even a Bourbon Santos now ) are now producing some excellent organic beans and the choices are way better now days than say 10 years ago.
There are many Youtube videos, books, articles about this subject .
Hope that helps
Cheers, JRM

JRM Steam wrote:This is a vast subject, so let me try to put a few things in context.
1)Coffee is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world.. yes
2) Think of every " cide" you can think of
Pesticide
Fugicide
Insecticide
Herbicide
Synthetic fertilizers( probably the most harmful aspect in that the nitrogen is not " fixed" and drains downhill into the water system
Of course add Glyoshpate to this cocktail
Birdicide( to prevent birds from eating the berries) Yes believe it or not they use this too!!

....
The " Conventional Farm" that is not yet certified..there are also many farms and cooperatives that have yet to receive certification for various reasons, sometimes its the simple fact that they do not have the money to " pay" for that. Some countries have worked that issue out by removing the " cost" of certification.
Some farms / plantations will use pesticides, but with careful restraint, aware that they too will be drinking the well water.

The Organic farms fall into many categories, some USDA certified, some by SOOPA, some by the Demeter institute( if it is " Bio- Dynamically farmed) and some by the EU
The next level is Organically grown, shade grown, in which the farm is trying to integrate the whole growing structure as an integrated part of the ecosystem
The top most " ethical" farm is , Organically grown, Certified, Shade Grown/ Bird friendly/ Fair Trade or " Beyond Fair Trade( Farmers get 50% of the profits)
...
Lastly if you can ever manage, connect locally with one of your coffee roasters that ...actually meets/ encounters these farmers and makes a direct connection with the grower.

...
Hope that helps
Cheers, JRM

Thank you for that thoughtful post.

One thing I want to get out of the way. Fungicide, herbicide and insecticide are all pesticides. Silly pet peeve of mine.

That said I think you hit the nail on the head when you advise people to connect with as closely as possible to the people growing what you consume. Since around 80% of Americans live in urban areas it can be a challenge to shake the hand that grew your food. So your advice to at least connect with a roaster that does that is wise!

We have a farm in my family (not mine) and it is small and certified organic. There are fewer toxic pesticides available to use than in conventional farming but certainly no shortage of toxic choices. I can tell you that on this farm the best insecticide is natural predators with a small assist from squishing the little buggers between your fingers. The best herbicide is pulling weeds with your hands. This is how you get clean food. Still, there are times you need to open up that bag of chemicals (approved for use on organic produce). There are also farmers that grow conventionally with the same goal of using fewer chemicals. Remember, you may be afraid to eat the residue but they are working the fields that have been treated and are exposed at way higher levels.

My bottom line is as often as you can, support the responsible growers. If it costs more but extends your life or quality of life, didn't you just buy time? I thought you couldn't do that...

In 1984, when I first learned of "organic" agriculture, I started buying organic foods as often as possible, whenever available. It took some time for me to find good organic espresso, but now I try to buy that exclusively. I've often been ridiculed for spending more money on food that one couldn't prove was really organically grown. My response has always been that if one less child, bird, or frog was poisoned by my consumption pattern it was worth the extra money just in principle, possible health benefits to myself aside.

Have a look sometime at the impact our overconsumption is causing to the planet - see Johan Rocktström et als "planetary boundaries", for example. Note that we can't even estimate what they call "novel entities" (like pesticides) since there are some 100,000 different kinds about which we know very little. Good planets are hard to find...

http://www.stockholmresilience.org/rese ... aries.html

PC