Energy Analysis of Coffee Production Systems: Implications for Environmental and Economic Sustainability

Abstract

Data from a 10 year Turrialba, Costa Rica study are used for an energy use evaluation of organic agroforestry, chemical agroforestry and sun-grown coffee production systems. Sun- grown coffee had the highest yield but lowest energy use efficiency. Organic coffee had the highest energy use efficiency and thus the highest environmental sustainability. High energy use efficiency results from efficient nutrient recycling by the community of soil organisms that obtain energy from decomposing coffee pulp and chicken manure. An economic analysis including data from a world survey suggests that sun-grown coffee generates the highest income. Governments may encourage producers to plant sun-grown coffee because high income from abroad helps balance of trade. Organic coffee provides a greater return on investment than sun-grown coffee and would be the choice of a local community that wants to avoid using chemical inputs but requires a higher income than that provided by traditional shade-grown coffee. Shade-grown coffee provides the lowest income of all systems but a higher return on investment than sun coffee. It is attractive for the small scale farmer because of low input requirements. Each of these systems is associated with a different economic hierarchical level: the traditional farm; the local community; the large scale producer or corporation. Maximizing economic sustainability at one hierarchical level precludes maximizing sustainability at other levels.