Abstract
Studies in coffee agroecosystems often focus on the conservation and environmental benefits of this managed novel habitat, but rarely examine the socioeconomic benefit of the shade tree products themselves to coffee farmers. An examination of Blue Mountain coffee farmers along an elevation gradient within the Yallahs River watershed saw several tree species emerge as important within the agroecosystems, accounting for approximately 10% of gross farm incomes. Of the 24 tropical, subtropical or temperate fruit trees reported by farmers, eight species (Mangifera indica, Blighia sapida, two Musa sp.—bananas and plantains, Syzygium samarangense, Persea Americana, and two Citrus sp.—oranges and grapefruits), contributing US$100 or greater, accounted for more than 90% of reported fruit incomes. Our results reveal that farmers, on average, could make an additional US$443.23 and US$1485.28 per ha. per year from fruit trees used as shade on high and low elevation coffee farms, respectively. With better marketing of fruit tree products and improved conditions of existing road networks to provide access to markets, shade coffee farms could significantly improve coffee farmer livelihoods and forest-like cover within the severely degraded agricultural areas within the Yallahs River watershed.
Highlights
Coffee is among the most traded commodities in the world, and coffee agroecosystems are some of the most prominent habitats in mid-elevation, speciesrich, forested areas of the tropics, including the Caribbean (Rice and Ward 1996; Rice 1999, 2003)
To understand which shade tree species could benefit coffee farmers economically, this study evaluated the socioeconomic benefits of fruits derived from trees grown in coffee agroecosystems within the Yallahs River watershed in the southeastern Blue Mountains
The results presented here suggest that Blue Mountain coffee farmers overlook fortuitous opportunities for additional economic gain from the fruit trees they use as shade on coffee farms (Table 2)
Summary
Coffee is among the most traded commodities in the world, and coffee agroecosystems are some of the most prominent habitats in mid-elevation, speciesrich, forested areas of the tropics, including the Caribbean (Rice and Ward 1996; Rice 1999, 2003). A study by Rice (2008) showed that Guatemalan and Peruvian coffee farmers obtained 19 and 28% of the coffee agroecosystem value, respectively, from shade tree products that included fruits. Studies in Guatemala, Peru, Costa Rica, and Kenya found musaceous species (bananas and plantains) to be important in agroecosystems with much of the fruit value coming from these species (Albertin and Nair 2004; Elliott 2009; Rice 2011). Since shade coffee agroecosystems focus on sustainability and economic benefit to farmers, they can be used as an important tool for habitat restoration efforts in areas where intensive coffee growing and other agricultural practices have resulted in severe habitat degradation (Barker and McGregor 1988)
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