Did you know that coffee is one of the top-traded commodities in the world, with over 2.25 billion cups consumed daily?
According to the FAO, "coffee is the most widely traded tropical product, with up to 25 million farming households globally accounting for 80 percent of world output." These households depend on coffee cultivation, making it an essential source of livelihood for many.
However, coffee growers face several challenges, including climate change, pests, diseases, and fluctuating market prices. These challenges threaten the sustainability and productivity of coffee farming, necessitating innovative solutions to ensure a stable supply and sustainable farming practices.
Coffee plants are especially vulnerable to climate change, and the increased frequency of drought in coffee-growing regions presents a significant challenge for producers. Droughts, floods, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, leading to unpredictable harvests, reduced yields, and even the complete devastation of entire plantations.
The impact of climate change has already been felt within Brazil – the world's biggest coffee bean producer. For example, it was reported that extreme weather in the form of drought and frost combined harmed about 1.5 million km2 of cropland and potentially ruined almost 600 million kg of coffee beans in 2020/2021. Reducing the impact of climate change on the coffee crop will be vital for the future of this critical sector.
Biostimulants
Biostimulants are emerging as a revolutionary tool in modern agriculture, providing a natural means to enhance plant growth, resilience, and overall health. Unlike traditional fertilizers, biostimulants focus on stimulating the natural processes within plants, helping them cope with stressors such as extreme temperatures, drought, and poor soil conditions. This makes them particularly relevant in the face of global agricultural challenges. By promoting sustainable farming practices and reducing the need for chemical inputs, biostimulants are becoming essential for improving crop productivity.
This article will look at the importance of biostimulants in agriculture and how ICL's Keep Green biostimulants can provide coffee growers with an innovative solution to the challenges of protecting the coffee crop from the impact of extreme heat and a changing climate.
The Importance of Biostimulants in Agriculture
What are Plant Biostimulants?
Plant biostimulants are substances or microorganisms that, when applied to plants, seeds, or soil, stimulate natural processes to enhance nutrient uptake, efficiency, stress tolerance, and crop quality. Biostimulants are becoming crucial to modern agriculture as a means to improve crop productivity without using non-organic fertilizers or harmful pesticides.
Global Challenges
Environmental stresses such as climate change, drought, and extreme temperatures significantly impact crop production worldwide.
With extreme weather becoming more frequent, the time between climatic stresses in Brazilian coffee plantations is getting shorter, which means that the plants don't have a chance to fully recover. For example, a severe drought in 2020 and the worst frost in 27 years in 2021 are still being felt by the susceptible arabica species, which is especially important for smallholder farmers in Brazil.
These stressors lead to reduced yields, compromised plant health, and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases. In the context of coffee cultivation, these challenges are particularly pronounced, affecting both the quality and quantity of the coffee produced.
General Benefits of Biostimulants
Agricultural biostimulants offer several benefits, including:
Improved Plant Resilience: They help plants withstand environmental stressors, such as drought and high temperatures.
Growth Enhancement: Biostimulants promote better root development and overall plant growth.
Sustainable Farming Practices: By reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, biostimulants contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices.
Soil Health: Biostimulants also enhance soil health, resulting in improved nutrient uptake and productivity as well as increased tolerance and recovery from stresses such as heat, water, or disease.
