Biodiverse coffee plantations provide co‐benefits without compromising yield

Abstract Introduction Coffee is a ubiquitous global commodity that is cultivated with a wide range of practices, each with different, yet poorly understood trade‐offs between management intensity, yield, and biodiversity. For example, monocultures prioritise coffee production, but do not necessarily...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dale R. Wright, Ascelin Gordon, Ruth E. Bennett, Matthew J. Selinske, Pia E. Lentini, Georgia E. Garrard, Amanda D. Rodewald, Sarah A. Bekessy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-09-01
Series:Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70005
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850240693437464576
author Dale R. Wright
Ascelin Gordon
Ruth E. Bennett
Matthew J. Selinske
Pia E. Lentini
Georgia E. Garrard
Amanda D. Rodewald
Sarah A. Bekessy
author_facet Dale R. Wright
Ascelin Gordon
Ruth E. Bennett
Matthew J. Selinske
Pia E. Lentini
Georgia E. Garrard
Amanda D. Rodewald
Sarah A. Bekessy
author_sort Dale R. Wright
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Introduction Coffee is a ubiquitous global commodity that is cultivated with a wide range of practices, each with different, yet poorly understood trade‐offs between management intensity, yield, and biodiversity. For example, monocultures prioritise coffee production, but do not necessarily deliver the highest coffee yields, nor the greatest profits. Understanding these trade‐offs is key to informing sustainable coffee production. Methods We synthesized the literature on these relationships, finding that agroforestry farming systems support greater biodiversity while often producing coffee yields that are comparable to monoculture systems. Results Over half of studies (57%) failed to detect a trade‐off between yield and biodiversity in agroforestry systems. Of the 16 cases that investigated pollinators and yield, 85% showed a positive relationship. Farm proximity to natural forests also improved both biodiversity outcomes and coffee yields. Conclusion Studies in our data set revealed that agroforestry systems can deliver additional ecosystem services including carbon sequestration and pest control, with economic benefits accrued through income diversification and improvements to coffee bean quality. Our results illustrate how agroforestry systems within the coffee sector can return positive socio‐ecological outcomes.
format Article
id doaj-art-cb438f8853d84f26a0dedb2e442deb0a
institution OA Journals
issn 2767-035X
language English
publishDate 2024-09-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
spelling doaj-art-cb438f8853d84f26a0dedb2e442deb0a2025-08-20T02:00:47ZengWileyJournal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment2767-035X2024-09-0133n/an/a10.1002/sae2.70005Biodiverse coffee plantations provide co‐benefits without compromising yieldDale R. Wright0Ascelin Gordon1Ruth E. Bennett2Matthew J. Selinske3Pia E. Lentini4Georgia E. Garrard5Amanda D. Rodewald6Sarah A. Bekessy7School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, ICON Science RMIT University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaSchool of Global, Urban and Social Studies, ICON Science RMIT University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaMigratory Bird Center Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Washington Washington DC USASchool of Global, Urban and Social Studies, ICON Science RMIT University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaSchool of Global, Urban and Social Studies, ICON Science RMIT University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaSchool of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria AustraliaDepartment of Natural Resources and the Environment Cornell University Ithaca New York USASchool of Global, Urban and Social Studies, ICON Science RMIT University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaAbstract Introduction Coffee is a ubiquitous global commodity that is cultivated with a wide range of practices, each with different, yet poorly understood trade‐offs between management intensity, yield, and biodiversity. For example, monocultures prioritise coffee production, but do not necessarily deliver the highest coffee yields, nor the greatest profits. Understanding these trade‐offs is key to informing sustainable coffee production. Methods We synthesized the literature on these relationships, finding that agroforestry farming systems support greater biodiversity while often producing coffee yields that are comparable to monoculture systems. Results Over half of studies (57%) failed to detect a trade‐off between yield and biodiversity in agroforestry systems. Of the 16 cases that investigated pollinators and yield, 85% showed a positive relationship. Farm proximity to natural forests also improved both biodiversity outcomes and coffee yields. Conclusion Studies in our data set revealed that agroforestry systems can deliver additional ecosystem services including carbon sequestration and pest control, with economic benefits accrued through income diversification and improvements to coffee bean quality. Our results illustrate how agroforestry systems within the coffee sector can return positive socio‐ecological outcomes.https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70005agroforestryfarmingmeta‐analysispollinationsustainability
spellingShingle Dale R. Wright
Ascelin Gordon
Ruth E. Bennett
Matthew J. Selinske
Pia E. Lentini
Georgia E. Garrard
Amanda D. Rodewald
Sarah A. Bekessy
Biodiverse coffee plantations provide co‐benefits without compromising yield
Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
agroforestry
farming
meta‐analysis
pollination
sustainability
title Biodiverse coffee plantations provide co‐benefits without compromising yield
title_full Biodiverse coffee plantations provide co‐benefits without compromising yield
title_fullStr Biodiverse coffee plantations provide co‐benefits without compromising yield
title_full_unstemmed Biodiverse coffee plantations provide co‐benefits without compromising yield
title_short Biodiverse coffee plantations provide co‐benefits without compromising yield
title_sort biodiverse coffee plantations provide co benefits without compromising yield
topic agroforestry
farming
meta‐analysis
pollination
sustainability
url https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70005
work_keys_str_mv AT dalerwright biodiversecoffeeplantationsprovidecobenefitswithoutcompromisingyield
AT ascelingordon biodiversecoffeeplantationsprovidecobenefitswithoutcompromisingyield
AT ruthebennett biodiversecoffeeplantationsprovidecobenefitswithoutcompromisingyield
AT matthewjselinske biodiversecoffeeplantationsprovidecobenefitswithoutcompromisingyield
AT piaelentini biodiversecoffeeplantationsprovidecobenefitswithoutcompromisingyield
AT georgiaegarrard biodiversecoffeeplantationsprovidecobenefitswithoutcompromisingyield
AT amandadrodewald biodiversecoffeeplantationsprovidecobenefitswithoutcompromisingyield
AT sarahabekessy biodiversecoffeeplantationsprovidecobenefitswithoutcompromisingyield