Indian Coffee Growers Forced To Adapt To Climate Change

HANBAL, INDIA - JANUARY 29: Coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix) hemicyclic fungus is seen on coffee leaves in an estate on January 29, 2024 in Hanbal village, Hassan district, in the southern state of Karnataka, India. Rising temperature and erratic weather patterns are forcing India’s coffee growers to change the way they farm, leading to reduced crop yields and concerns with quality, a reduction in area suitable for cultivation, increased vulnerability to pests and diseases, and frequent interactions with wildlife. These factors threaten India’s small landholding planters who account for 81% of the growers of coffee in the country, unless there are mitigation measures in place to ensure the sustainable production of the crop through improved crop, soil, and water management. (Photo by Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images)