Climate vulnerability and adaptation of the smallholder cocoa and coffee value chains in Liberia

Liberia is one of the world’s poorest countries. Efforts to rebuild its economy after several years of internal conflict were partially set back by the 2014–5 Ebola crisis. The country’s lowland humid climate and land-use history suggest a potential to increase the production of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and coffee (Coffea spp.) to generate income and employment for smallholder farmers, and these value chains are, therefore, the focus of projects funded by donors including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank. This study analyzes the present and projected future climatic conditions of the country and compares them with conditions in other cocoa- and coffee-producing parts of Africa. Soil conditions, farming systems and supply chain characteristics are also briefly reviewed. On the basis of this information, a comprehensive strategy to reduce the vulnerability of the cocoa and coffee supply chains to climate change and ensure their future viability is proposed

Predicting the future climatic suitability for cocoa farming of the world's leading producer countries, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0774-

Climate change adaptation, mitigation and livelihood benefits in coffee production: where are the synergies?

There are worldwide approximately 4.3 million coffee (Coffea arabica) producing smallholders generating a large share of tropical developing countries' gross domestic product, notably in Central America. Their livelihoods and coffee production are facing major challenges due to projected climate change, requiring adaptation decisions that may range from changes in management practices to changes in crops or migration. Since management practices such as shade use and reforestation influence both climate vulnerability and carbon stocks in coffee, there may be synergies between climate change adaptation and mitigation that could make it advantageous to jointly pursue both objectives. In some cases, carbon accounting for mitigation actions might even be used to incentivize and subsidize adaptation actions. To assess potential synergies between climate change mitigation and adaptation in smallholder coffee production systems, we quantified (i) the potential of changes in coffee production and processing practices as well as other livelihood activities to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, (ii) coffee farmers' climate change vulnerability and need for adaptation, including the possibility of carbon markets subsidizing adaptation. We worked with smallholder organic coffee farmers in Northern Nicaragua, using workshops, interviews, farm visits and the Cool Farm Tool software to calculate greenhouse gas balances of coffee farms. From the 12 activities found to be relevant for adaptation, two showed strong and five showed modest synergies with mitigation. Afforestation of degraded areas with coffee agroforestry systems and boundary tree plantings resulted in the highest synergies between adaptation and mitigation. Financing possibilities for joint adaptation-mitigation activities could arise through carbon offsetting, carbon insetting, and carbon footprint reductions. Non-monetary benefits such as technical assistance and capacity building could be effective in promoting such synergies at low transaction costs

Multifunctional shade‐tree management in tropical agroforestry landscapes – a review

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87099/1/j.1365-2664.2010.01939.x.pd