Brazil Suffered Over 737,000 Hectares Of Deforestation Linked To Coffee Cultivation Since 2002 – CoffeeTalk

Brazil’s coffee industry has been hit by 737,000 hectares of deforestation between 2002 and 2023, according to a report by Coffee Watch. The deforestation, where land was cleared to grow coffee, led to 312,803 hectares being torn down over the period, with the rest coming from additional forest loss on coffee farms. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer and exporter, producing tens of millions of 60-kilogram bags of coffee each year. However, the future of the industry is in jeopardy due to the impact of forest loss on the rains needed for the crops.

In Minas Gerais, Brazil’s top coffee-producing state, eight of the last 10 years registered deficits in rain. NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite mission shows that soil moisture has dropped by up to 25% over six years in top-producing zones. Brazil’s coffee growers have traditionally depended on the country’s abundant spring and summer rains, but droughts in recent years have pushed farmers to explore costly irrigation options to keep up with global demand.

The report combined data from MapBiomas, Hansen Global Forest Change, and NASA among other sources to reach its conclusions. Brazilian coffee growers must embrace sustainable agroforestry practices, currently used in less than 1% of key coffee zones, to ensure the industry’s future. Brazilian coffee exporter’s group Cecafe said the report focuses on deforestation from whole municipalities and does not analyze the dynamics of preserving native vegetation on coffee farms themselves.

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