Shade-grown coffee may cost more than brew from beans grown on a clear-cut, sun-drenched plantation. But apparently it's not just the forest you're saving by paying a little extra for your caffeine fix.
A review by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center of more than 50 studies from Central and South America to Indonesia finds more and more different species of birds on farms raising coffee in the shade than on cleared plantations.
There's also more bird habitat (aka trees and shrubs), better pest control (birds eat bugs and caterpillars) and better pollination (bees), not to mention improved erosion control and carbon sequestration with all the trees and roots there.
Farms growing coffee the old-school way, in the shade of trees, isn't as good for birds as an untouched forest, Smithsonian folks acknowledge. But they say it's a lot better than clearing the forest out altogether to maximize coffee production in full sun.
You may be wondering: Why should a Baltimorean care about having more birds in Central and South America? Well, some of our favorite "local" songbirds birds spend their winters south of the border, including the Baltimore oriole. And the fall migration season is in full swing now. Think about that the next time you ask for a cup of Joe.
Smithsonian has devised its own "Bird Friendly" standards for coffee, which go a bit beyond just "fair trade" and organic. The Baltimore Coffee & Tea Co. in Lutherville and Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery in Annapolis are among only about 40 roasters nationwide that carry beans grown to the center's "Bird Friendly" standards, according to its website.
For more about migratory birds and "bird friendly" coffee, go here.
(Male Baltimore oriole at Robert E. Lee Park, 1997 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)