Impact of Climate Change in Sumatra
Until just recently, the Gayonese coffee farmers in Sumatra have been spared the dramatic impacts of climate change, in contrast to the climate-related havoc being wrought upon so many coffee growing regions across Latin America and Africa in recent years.
However, the Sumatran farmers’ luck suddenly flipped this harvest, with their coffee seriously damaged due to the lack of rainfall from January to September of 2016. This prolonged drought provoked higher local temperatures and stunted the maturation of the coffee cherries, resulting in many “empty” or immature cherries on the tree. When the rains finally did arrive in late September, this coincided precisely with the coffee drying season in the highlands, when farmers need consecutive sunny days to guarantee stable coffee quality.
Climate volatility is clearly making the livelihoods of Sumatran coffee farmers more unpredictable than ever.
Eric Heupel