Climate Disruption and Coffee Supply: Building Resilience Through Certification

Climate change is forcing the coffee industry to adapt rapidly. In our recent U.S. Women in Coffee webinar, Elizabeth Whitlow (founding executive director, Regenerative Organic Alliance) and Miguel Gamboa (Coffee Lead, Rainforest Alliance) explored how regenerative practices and thoughtful certification can help producers build resilience in an era of unprecedented climate volatility.

The Climate Reality for Coffee Producers

Coffee production is facing increasing volatility across all origin countries. "Farmers have one chance usually every year to learn," Whitlow noted. "Maybe they've got 50 chances in their whole life to adapt. And when climate change is making dramatic weather changes, farmers are at the front edge of that cliff."

The impacts are stark: irregular flowering, lower yields, quality shifts, erratic rainfall patterns, and increasing pest pressures. Miguel Gamboa emphasized that in most countries, coffee production happens only once per year—meaning producers have no chance to recover from climate-related losses within the same year.

However, both speakers identified opportunities emerging from this crisis. High coffee prices create leverage for producers, and there's growing consumer demand for certified, traceable coffees with environmental and social commitments.

The Foundation: Soil Health

If there's one takeaway from this conversation, it's the critical importance of soil health. Whitlow explained that regenerative practices create healthier soil, which creates resilience across the entire property.

Key soil health benefits:

• Every 1% increase in soil organic matter equals 27,000 gallons more water retained in soil

• Higher nutrient exchange through increased microbial activity

• More resilient plants with declining need for conventional inputs

• Better capacity to capture and hold water during extreme weather events

"Imagine the soil as a sponge," Whitlow said. "As it gets moist, it expands and can hold more water."

Adaptation Strategies for Producers

Both speakers offered concrete guidance for producers navigating climate uncertainty:

1. Know Your Soil and Plants Gamboa shared insights from a Peru project where soil analysis revealed that plant roots were so damaged that no inputs—organic or chemical—could produce sustainable results. "Knowing how the plantation is set and the composition of the soil is the first step to understanding how to implement practices and work towards better resilience," he explained.

2. Keep Soil Covered and Bring in Diversity Use leaf litter, prunings, and compost from coffee pulp. Work with co-ops to get compost delivered back to farms. More diversity provides natural pest controls and reduces outbreak risks.

3. Learn from Your Neighbors "Farmers learn best from farmers in their own vicinity," Whitlow emphasized. Co-ops and buyers can support this by identifying leaders growing the best quality coffee and uplifting them as teachers and mentors in the community.

4. Transition Thoughtfully Moving from conventional to regenerative practices takes time—anywhere from a few months to over a year, depending on the farm's starting point. "You can't just cold turkey stop everything," Whitlow cautioned. Build healthier soil while transitioning away from heavy inputs.

Understanding Certification Options

Both speakers presented their programs as tools—not just checklists—for supporting sustainable production.

Rainforest Alliance's Approach: The new standard simplifies entry for producers while promoting shade management, organic matter retention, landscape restoration, and integrated pest management. Gamboa emphasized that certification helps producers establish management systems and organize cooperatively for better farm control. Their regenerative standard recognizes producers already implementing advanced practices while creating pathways for others.

Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC): This program requires USDA organic as a baseline, plus criteria for soil health, pasture-based animal welfare (for livestock operations), and social fairness. Importantly, buyers using the ROC claim must pay premiums to farmers and establish long-term contracts whenever possible.

"We're trying to help put farmers more in a driver's seat and give them more agency," Whitlow explained. The program costs just $250-500 annually for farms and recognizes 14 other certifications to avoid audit duplication.

Growing Consumer Demand

Market data shows significant growth in regenerative organic certified products (25% this year) and continued interest in certifications that demonstrate clean, ethical production. Younger generations particularly seek authenticity and want certifications that speak to their values.

However, Whitlow noted important distinctions: "There's no legal definition for regenerative. Many programs don't prohibit pesticides, herbicides, and GMOs, and many don't include social fairness for farmers or workers."

What Roasters Can Do Today

Both speakers offered direct advice for roasters wanting to support climate-resilient coffee:

Think Long-Term: "If you want sustainability for your business, you need to support the sustainability of your producers," Gamboa stated plainly. "Without coffee, you won't have any business at all."

Ensure Traceability: Use certification as a tool to know your suppliers. Clear pathways back to the farm create transparency and accountability.

Share Responsibility: Consider supporting producers through projects, premiums, and long-term contracts. The ROA's "Journey to Rock" pilot program pairs brands with producer groups to support their transition to regenerative practices.

Ask Questions: Engage with your supply chain about practices, challenges, and opportunities. Communication builds partnerships.

A Continuous Journey

"Sustainability is not a goal. It's a way of managing the farm," Gamboa reminded participants. "Certification is a tool to work toward the sustainability of the farm through continuous improvement."

The message from both speakers was ultimately hopeful: climate challenges are real and significant, but solutions exist. Through regenerative practices focused on soil health, farmer-to-farmer learning, meaningful certifications, and committed partnerships between producers and buyers, the coffee industry can build resilience for the next generation.

As Gamboa concluded: "Every pruning, every compost pile, and every tree planted within certification systems is a small act of climate mitigation and adaptation combined. If we all make these small acts, we'll be making a bigger impact."

For more resources:

• Regenerative Organic Alliance: regenorganic.org (Spanish version coming soon)

• Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

• Register for upcoming webinars at uswic.org/webinar