Colombia’s coffee farmers try to balance innovation and tradition to adapt to climate change

CHINCHINA, Colombia — “Before, the seasons seemed etched into the calendar, with well-defined periods of drought and rain. Today, the climate has gone completely mad!” says coffee grower Oscar Gomez from his farm nestled in the mountains of Colombia’s Eje Cafetero, or the Coffee Axis.

Climate change is profoundly disrupting coffee production in Colombia, the world’s third-largest coffee producer, after Brazil and Vietnam. The country is also facing extreme weather events from successive cycles of La Niña and El Niño that bring either torrential rains or prolonged droughts. These fluctuations disrupt agricultural cycles and weaken harvests, say researchers, while rising temperatures encourage the proliferation of harmful insects and diseases caused by fungi.

In the face of these, researchers and farmers are taking multiple measures to try to safeguard the coffee crops. The National Federation of Coffee Growers (FEDECAFE) of Colombia’s coffee research center, Cenicafé, is continuously developing disease-resistant coffee varieties to try to adapt to the latest changes. A new coffee variety, Castillo 2.0, came out in December 2024, and researchers say they hope it ensures that farmers receive a fair income for their coffee production and helps them face climate change.

Meanwhile, some farmers are reverting to traditional farming methods, cultivating non-hybrid coffee varieties, and developing diverse agroecology techniques where various species are cultivated together to help mitigate the effects of climate change — for example, planting Spanish elm trees, or nogal cafetero (Cordia alliodora), alongside coffee plants to provide natural shade. However, this approach comes with risks, such as heightened susceptibility to the coffee leaf rust disease and the possibility of lower yields.

These adaptation strategies are particularly important to farmers, say sources. In Colombia, coffee cultivation is crucial to the national economy — it represents 8% of the total exports and 12% of the gross domestic agricultural product. Smallholders, who account for 96% of coffee producers and own less than 5 hectares (12.3 acres) of land, are particularly vulnerable to crop losses and their economic consequences.

Eje Cafetero confronts climate challenges

Located in the heart of the country, Eje Cafetero is a historic coffee-producing region that has long benefited from its mountainous terrain and diverse microclimates as temperatures fluctuate.

While coffee producers in the region see climate change as a significant challenge, Álvaro Gaitán, director of Cenicafé, says it has not yet reached a critical point that threatens production.

“We see that temperatures are rising slowly but steadily. However, we are still within the optimal temperature range for Arabica coffee, which is between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius [64 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit],” he says.

However, rising temperatures are already encouraging the spread of pests and diseases, Gaitán tells Mongabay. The coffee berry borer, locally known as la broca (Hypothenemus hampei), a tiny beetle that lays its eggs inside coffee cherries, and coffee leaf rust fungal disease, or la roya (Hemileia vastatrix), are now found at higher altitudes previously unaffected by these threats. The increasingly irregular and concentrated rainfall patterns exacerbate the risks.

“These organisms develop faster when it’s hotter, causing greater damage — especially the coffee rust,” says Gaitán.

Erratic seasonal shifts further complicate farming operations.

“A month that’s usually rainy can turn completely dry, and vice versa. These changes disrupt the flowering and ripening cycles of coffee, making it difficult to maintain stable production,” says Jorge Mario Tamayo, a member of FEDECAFE’s extension unit.

Finding the best ‘football players’

To tackle these challenges, Cenicafé’s genetics improvement department, led by researcher Claudia Florez, develops hybrid coffee varieties designed to withstand shifting climate conditions, water stress, and the growing threat of diseases and pests driven by climate change — all while preserving the high yields and taste that have defined Colombian coffee’s reputation.

Since the 1980s, Cenicafé has developed 15 disease-resistant (though not immune) coffee varieties to keep pace with the ever-evolving threats. Today, 87.5% of Colombia’s coffee production consists of resistant varieties pioneered by the institute. However, as pests and diseases — most notably coffee leaf rust and the coffee berry borer — continue to evolve and adapt, fueled by rising temperatures, Cenicafé says it remains at the forefront of innovation. It is not only trying to continuously develop new coffee varieties that endure these environmental shifts but also introduce genetic diversity to strengthen resilience against the ever-adapting threats.

A hybrid coffee plant, such as Castillo, or more recently Castillo 2.0 made available to coffee growers in December 2024, are developed through traditional crossbreeding between different coffee varieties to enhance traits like disease resistance. It is different from genetically modified organisms. While a GMO coffee plant is genetically engineered in a lab by directly modifying its DNA, often incorporating genes from other organisms for specific traits, this technique is not yet used in the creation of hybrid varieties.

As the threats continue to evolve, researchers must introduce new sources of genetic resistance regularly, they told Mongabay.

“It’s like a football team: We have reserve players ready to step in if one is affected,” says Florez while showing the different varieties she and her teams are working on in Cenicafé’s farm.

Developing a new variety is a long and demanding process.

“Creating a new variety takes more than 20 years,” Florez says. Each stage is essential to ensure the plants can withstand both diseases and extreme weather.

The process begins with the F1 generation (first generation) obtained after three years from parent pants selected for qualities such as taste, productivity and rust resistance.
“At this stage, all plants are resistant to rust. Other traits, like red fruit color or small tree size, also appear,” explains Florez. But at this point, no further selection is required.

Real selection begins with the F2 generation (offspring of the first generation), six years later. Genetic traits manifest randomly, compelling researchers to identify plants with desirable characteristics. Secondary traits like grain size are still tolerated. The strongest plants undergo testing in various climates to assess their adaptability and resistance.

Seeds from the best F3 trees are planted in organized “families,” where each row represents a specific parent tree. “There is still a lot of variation between trees at this stage. We continue selecting those with the best traits,” Florez says.

Over the F4 and F5 generations, these traits stabilize. “Only after these cycles do we obtain a stable variety adapted to local conditions and capable of resisting diseases,” she says.

Once finalized, F5 seeds are transferred to “multiplication fields,” where they are produced in large quantities for farmers. The researchers say this process ensures access to high-quality varieties capable of maintaining stable yields even in challenging conditions.

“We work on climate adaptation, productivity, sensory profiles and tolerance to diseases and to various hydration levels,” Florez says.

Gomez hasn’t tried the latest Castillo 2.0 variety yet, neither have other farmers Mongabay spoke with. He cultivates the resistant varieties Cenicafé 1 and Castillo 1.0, on his half-hectare (1.23-acre) farm in the mountains overlooking Caldas. Despite this, he observes the effects climate change has on the spread of pests. “Of course, these pests [coffee borer] are directly linked to climate change. The pests have adapted to the new conditions. Before, it wasn’t as serious, but now, I regularly bring back coffee cherries infected with the borer, even at 1,600, 1,700 or 1,800 meters, [5,250, 5,580 or 5,900 feet], where it never existed before.”

Bernardo Vallejo, who owns a neighboring farm, also grows Cenicafé-developed coffee varieties but says he believes that beyond the choice of the varieties, farming practices will need to evolve in the near future.

“We need to return to what coffee was originally, when it grew in Africa. It was part of the forest, developing under trees. That’s where it truly originated,” said Vallejo. “In Colombia, in the 1970s, many plantations were still shaded. Coffee was cultivated under a tree canopy.”

Traditional practices for bougie coffee

Some producers, despite various challenges, have already turned to ancestral farming methods. Some are doing it to both mitigate and adapt to climate change, while others are trying to access the premium café de especialidad (specialty coffee) market by offering organic coffee or less common varieties not developed by Cenicafé.

Angela Maria, who manages the Azucenas farm that has been owned by her family for nearly a century, embodies this shift. In the past, FEDECAFE engineers advised her grandparents to cut down shade trees to increase coffee plant density. But, for the last four years, she has been restoring them. She has also reintroduced the non-hybrid Geisha variety, originating from Ethiopia, known for its flavor but highly susceptible to rust.

By replanting shade trees such as guamo, cedar and walnut, she created microclimates that protect coffee plants from extreme temperatures and retain essential soil moisture.

“We don’t have the same goals as Cenicafé. My Geisha plants produce around 100 kilo[gram]s [220 pounds] a year, compared to 400 kilos [880 lbs] from a Cenicafé-developed plant,” she says. “Thanks to the trees, plants and insects, I have a microbiological balance that naturally protects my coffee plants.”

These specialty coffees, along with the reforestation efforts associated with their cultivation, are highly sought after in premium markets and by high-end clients worldwide who are willing to pay a higher price for these types of coffee and green practices.

Sebastián Velázquez, a 29-year-old agronomist, who manages La Cumparsita coffee farm, also focuses on specialty coffee varieties for high-end export markets. His varieties include Geisha, Bourbon-Sidra and Maragogipe, none of which are rust-resistant. To mitigate this risk, he prioritizes plant nutrition and biodiversity.

“If a plant is well-nourished, it develops characteristics that make it more resistant. Just like malnourished humans are more vulnerable to diseases, it’s the same for plants,” says Velázquez.

Sebastián has also introduced complementary crops like cacao and banana trees, which help stabilize the microclimate and improve soil health.

“It’s essential to give back to the soil part of what you take from it with coffee cultivation. If you don’t take care of the soil ecosystem, productivity and plant health decline,” he says. However, during severe rust outbreaks, he says he sometimes resorts to chemical treatments to protect yields.

On the other hand, Gerardo Carvajal, whose farm is located near Manizales, the capital of the Caldas department in the Eje Cafetero, lives sort of in the middle of both worlds. He cultivates the hybrid, rust-resistant Castillo variety developed by Cenicafé while fully committing to organic agriculture. To combat the coffee borer, he applies a fungus cultivated on rice.

“This fungus acts as a protective barrier. It prevents the borer from entering the fruit and suffocates it if it’s already inside — without chemicals,” Carvajal explains.

Gerardo has reforested his farm with about 1,500 trees, reducing his coffee plant density and, at the same time, his potential yields. “We planted orange, mandarin, lemon trees, and also cedars and guamo. When we arrived, there were no birds, no bees, no insects. Everything was dead,” he recalls.

Rejecting Cenicafé’s recommendation to use occasional chemical treatments, Gerardo produces his own natural fertilizers and avoids pesticides.

“I’d rather have lower production but keep a healthy environment. The goal is to produce high-quality coffee without contaminants while respecting nature,” he says.

Although these ancient traditional practices can contribute to climate change adaptation, the cost and time required for implementation, along with the reduction in coffee production land inherently linked to the restoration of shade-providing ecosystems, pose significant challenges for many smallholder farmers. As extreme weather events become more frequent, Colombian coffee producers must navigate the challenge of integrating scientific innovation and/or traditional practices to adapt to evolving environmental conditions.

“When we say, ‘Let’s go organic,’ it comes with many implications,” says Jaime from Cenicafé’s extension unit. “You have to rethink the entire system and introduce shade trees, which leads to a significant reduction in yields. If you want to replace chemicals with organic fertilizers, it takes large amounts of natural compost.”

Banner image: Bernardo Vallejo inspects his farm Finca Las Brisas. Image © Victor Raison.

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Latoya Abulu Editor

This story first appeared on Mongabay

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