| Abstract | Coffee farmers in Costa Rica are vulnerable to a broad spectrum of climate risks,
centered on the production risks associated with the cultivation of Coffea arabica due to
its climate sensitivity. Climate changes such as shifts in the timing and intensity of
precipitation, the increase of extreme temperatures, and the growing number of extreme
weather events are threatening C. arabica cultivation and value chains. The impacts of
climate change on coffee production systems in Costa Rica are numerous, including
impacts on biodiversity, coffee yields, land use, pests and diseases, and management
requirements of water, soil, and shade. Beyond production, there are climate risks
associated with coffee processing systems, coffee farming communities, and the entire
global coffee trade.
Boosting the climate resilience of coffee farmers to better manage these risks can
include various adaptive techniques such as the diversification of income streams, the
diversification of crops and other species in shaded coffee agroforestry systems, and the
diversification of (resilient) coffee cultivars. These measures, in combination with several
other farm characteristics, have been identified and evaluated based on their proposed
contribution to farm-level climate resilience. The resulting Resilience Indicator Index was
used to perform a theoretical case study analysis of four coffee farms in the Tarraz ú
region of central Costa Rica. It was concluded that, in addition to adaptive measures like
improved shade and water management, income diversification, and the use of more
climate-resilient coffee cultivars, a key component of climate resilience is related to the
farmer’s flexibility and willingness to innovate. |
