Carbon emissions have become a worldwide challenge in the context of climate change. The agricultural sector is considered critical for managing carbon emissions. Moreover, coffee lands have a relevant potential for retention and control of country´s total carbon emissions.

1. Towards a low carbon coffee:
the case of Costa Rica
Kilian, B.; Guevara, A.; Roblero, A.; Jiménez, G.

2. Agenda
oThe relevance of coffee
oThe structure of the Costa Rican coffee sector
oWhy low-carbon coffee?
oCoffee and emissions
oThe role of productivity and good practices
oConclusions

3. The relevance of coffee
The second most valuable commodity in world´s trade
Coffee plays a significant role in developing economies
◦ 90 % of the world's coffee production takes place in developing countries
◦ Coffee farms are the economic livelihood of over 25 million people
harvesting 12 million hectares
◦ Its cultivation, processing, trading, transportation and marketing provides
employment for 125 million people worldwide
◦ For many of the world's least developed countries, exports of coffee account
for more than 50% of their foreign exchange earnings
Coffee is a “social crop”
◦ 80% of world´s coffee production comes from smallholders (less than 10 ha)
Sources: International Coffee Organization and
International Trade Centre

4. Costa Rican coffee sector
Coffee is the 3rd most important agricultural product
Distinguished and well-known Costa Rican product worldwide
Structure of the industry by 2014:
◦ 93 774 hectares
◦ 52 000 coffee farmers
◦ 210 milling facilities
◦ 58 exporters
◦ 67 roasters
Source: Instituto del café de Costa Rica (ICAFE)

5. Why low-carbon coffee?
Carbon emissions have become a worldwide challenge in the context of climate
change
Costa Rica has set the goal of being a carbon neutral country by 2021 and has
committed itself to design and implement a NAMA for the coffee sector
The country is looking for adaptation and mitigation policies to manage extreme
climate events and reduce carbon emissions.
The agricultural sector is considered critical for managing carbon emissions
Coffee lands have a relevant potential for retention and control of country´s total
carbon emissions

6. Coffee and emissions
9% of country´s total emissions
25% agricultural and livestock emissions
Estimated carbon footprint along the supply chain
Source: Navichoc, Kilian and Rivera, 2012

7. Coffee and emissions
Most of the carbon emissions are concentrated at farm level
Emissions of an “average” coffee farm
Source
Emissions
kg CO2eq/kg green coffee %
Fertilizers 0,96 94%
Fossil fuels 0,03 3%
Electricity 0,02 2%
Pesticides 0,01 1%
Total 1,02 100%
Source: Navichoc, Kilian and Rivera (2012); Segura and Andrade (2012)

8. Distribution of emissions in Costa Rica´s
coffee landscape n=323
Source: Own elaboration, data from CIMS-ICAFE project (2013)

9. Inverse relationship between emissions
(per unit produced) and yield
Inverse relationship between emissions (per unit produced) and yield
KgCO2eq/kggreencoffee
Yield (qq green coffee/ha)
Source: Own elaboration, data from CIMS-ICAFE project (2013)

10. Direct relationship between emissions
(per hectare) and yield
Yield (qq green coffee/ha)
KgCO2eq/haofcoffeeland
Source: Own elaboration, data from CIMS-ICAFE project (2013)

11. ¿Is there a conflict measuring the dynamics
of emissions and productivity?
Data reveal that the more productive the farm is, the lower its carbon
emissions per kg harvested
However, the more productive the hectare, the higher its carbon
emissions
To maintain coffee volumes with farms with low productivity will imply
to expand the agricultural frontier to areas currently forested
Expansion of the agricultural frontier to woodland will add 5000 kg
CO2eq/ha per harvest Noponen et al (2013)., more than doubles the
current carbon footprint
The aim should be to increase productivity and intensify existing
productive units to manage the emissions of the sector

12. Production function: factors that
define productivity
Source: Own elaboration, data from CIMS-ICAFE project (2013)

13. Production function: factors that
define productivity
Fertilization intensity is significant and relevant for productivity, it
explains 50% of the results
Pruning, coffee variety, and de-suckering have also significant effects,
all of these three together explain approximately 30% of productivity.
Fertilization is the factor that determines productivity; however, it is
responsible for most of the emissions at farm level
The key is to manage an important intensity of nitrogen fertilization
using fertilizers with lower emission factors (nitrates instead of urea,
for instance)

14. Managing emissions:
fertilization scenarios
Source: Own elaboration, data from CIMS-ICAFE project (2013)

15. Managing emissions: good
agricultural practices
Source: Own elaboration, data from CIMS-ICAFE project (2013)

16. Managing emissions through
good agricultural practices
Good practices increase productivity and therefore bring
benefits in terms of carbon footprint
Differences in terms of carbon footprint intensify as
productivity increases, that is, a farm with bad practices is
much more intensive in terms of emissions as it gets more
productive
For instance, at 3000 kg coffee/ha level, a farm with good
practices will save between 1800-2000 kg CO2eq/ha per
harvest in

17. Conclusions and
implications

18. Conclusions and implications
The research offers solid insights to lead, design and
implement Costa Rica´s coffee NAMA
Efficiency on inputs transformation is a key element for
managing emissions in the coffee landscape, since inputs not
incorporated in the production flow usually end as carbon
footprint agents
Increasing productivity must be a constant in every policy
designed for a low carbon agricultural sector, since it is
determinant to manage emissions and it serves as an incentive
itself to adopt policies and practices at farm level

19. Conclusions and implications
Expanding the agricultural frontier is not a cost-effective option to
respond to an increasing coffee demand and support producers´
income. Forest degradation has a higher impact on carbon
emissions than an alternative policy aimed to intensify farms
Good agricultural practices and fertilization management have the
potential to save 30-50% on carbon emissions, additionally both
policies increase producers´ net income and resistance to adverse
conditions (climate and pest/diseases)
The road to a low carbon coffee industry demands highly
productive farms

20. Acknowledgements
• “Acción Clima” of the GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit)
• Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation,
Building and Nuclear Safety of Germany
• Department of Energy and Climate Change of UK

21. Thank you
ANDRES GUEVARA CHAVES
RESEARCHER
CIMS, INCAE CAMPUS, COSTA RICA
AGUEVARA@CIMS-LA.COM