Coffee could become a luxurious thing of the past in the UK as farmers abandon their crops because of climate change. Temperature extremes, increased humidity and crippling market prices mean more and more coffee producers in Peru are ditching the trade, experts say. Scientists even predict 50 per cent of land currently used for growing coffee beans will become unsuitable by 2050. Already, rising temperatures are causing farmers to seek ever-higher and cooler grounds in order to grow their crops. With lands becoming unusable, there is likely to be an increase in deforestation as businesses attempt to clear new areas for farms. Experts also say the quality of coffee will also drop, with farmers turning to new varieties when their crops fail to grow. Lower production volumes could also see prices increase in countries like the UK. The poorest farmers are already being hit the hardest by climate change, as they cannot afford to invest their profits in tools to improve the soil. Catherine David, head of commercial partnerships at Fairtrade, urged businesses to invest in coffee farming to prevent it from becoming ‘a luxury’. She continued: ‘If 50 per cent of land currently used for coffee isn’t going to be suitable for it by 2050, and coffee farmers are abandoning their farms, there simply won’t be enough coffee. ‘[Therefore] we could conceivably get to a point where coffee is no longer available for, say, £1.50 at Greggs, but becomes a premium product for only those who can afford to enjoy it. ‘It really is a crisis we are facing and I think it’s one that, if the UK public were more aware of, they’d be pretty scandalised that brands, retailers and coffee shops that they are buying their coffee from aren’t doing more.’ In the town of Tarapoto, Peru, some farmers are returning to growing the coca plant, the raw material in cocaine, to make ends meet. While fairtrade co-operative Norandino, representing the largest number of farmers in Peru, had crops and buildings destroyed two years ago after an extreme bout of rain. In the valley district of Montero, an outbreak of leaf rust disease has continued to diminish agricultural output. Coffee production in the area has shrunk from 80 per cent to 20 per cent, over the last five years, PA reports. Segundo Alejandro Guerrero Mondragon, 72, is part of the Norandino co-operative and says his family were forced to plant their crops on higher land. He said: ‘Our area used to be free of all types of disease. There was no rust, there was no brown eye, there was no borer (a type of beetle). ‘Lately we were managing to partly control brown eye, but when we got rust it was a largely unknown disease and really concerned us, it hit us really hard and there was a huge drop in production. ‘For me it was very disappointing, we had coffee plantations with a really good crop and we were left with next to nothing, it was almost completely destroyed. ‘I was a little bit lucky because of my children, who helped to manage the crop and for the greater part managed to control the fungus. Others were left with nothing.’ The family has been able to invest in production facilities to speed up their coffee farming due to being members of the co-operative.
Coffee could become a “ luxury ” in the UK if farmers abandon their crops due to climate change . Rising temperatures and increased humidity , combined with shifting economic conditions , are causing growing numbers of coffee producers in Peru to leave the trade . An estimated 50 % of land currently used to grow coffee beans could become unsuitable for farming by 2050 , according to some scientists . Poorer farmers are worst affected as they can not afford to improve soil quality . Some farmers are already seeking higher and cooler areas to farm , raising fears of increased deforestation . Lower production could also see coffee prices rise .