Recent research in India's Western Ghats suggests that coffee agroforests, which utilize diverse native tree species, can play a significant role in biodiversity conservation. Farmers often clear seeds and seedlings during coffee cultivation, which negatively impacts nearby ecosystems. By instead "rescuing" these seeds, farmers can support forest restoration. This method aligns with the growing demand for sustainable coffee, and highlights coffee farms as potential sites for both environmental conservation and improved coffee quality, despite the challenges of sourcing seedlings and balancing farming interests.
"In the past, some of those seeds might have survived and those trees might have grown, but today they're getting slashed because farmers do not want trees growing in places that will compromise the productivity of their crop," explained Anand Osuri, a scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and lead author of the study. "The act of removing those seeds and seedlings is a form of rescue," he added.
The growing appetite for specialty coffee in India has also driven the demand for it to be more sustainably sourced. New research from the Western Ghats proposes coffee agrofarms could be sites not only for in-situ biodiversity conservation - meaning growing a variety of species on their farms - but also be sources of seeds and seedlings for forest restoration in nearby areas.
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