Aaah…there's nothing like sitting on your deck or porch on an early summer morning listening to the choir of songbirds over a steaming cup of Café Campesino coffee. But imagine for a moment that the music stopped. It could happen. If the South American rainforests where migratory birds have found a sanctuary continue to be destroyed by unscrupulous conglomerates trying to get a better coffee yield, hundreds of bird species could be eradicated. And that means fewer feathered friends flying northward in the spring to sing on our branches.

In this issue of Fair Grounds, we delve into the issue of shade grown vs. "technified" coffee. We also take a look at the efforts of the Atlanta Audubon Society to protect songbird habitats through their Shade Grown Coffee Campaign.

We're also introducing our monthly Fair Grounds Trivia Contest. Answer this month's question correctly and you may win a free pound of the Café Campesino coffee of your choice!

Read on, learn, and enjoy!

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For centuries, coffee was literally made in the shade. But through biotech intervention in the 1970s, coffee ecosystems became vulnerable. New genetic-modified coffee trees or hybrids introduced by agribusinesses began to replace native coffee species and eradicate the traditional coffee growing methods, which have demonstrated their sustainability for generations.

In traditional growing systems, coffee is grown under a canopy of shade trees, which protect sun-sensitive coffee plants and preserve native ecosystems. These trees — banana, citrus, avocado, timber and other native flora — also supply potential supplemental income for farming communities. But agribusinesses found a way to increase yields by "tricking" coffee plants to grow in the sun.

Find out more about the harmful environmental effects of sun-grown coffee as well as eco-labeling initiatives endorsed by Café Campesino by clicking here.

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Wondering who is working to spread the good word about shade-grown coffee on the local level? One fine example can be found in Georgia. Since 1996, the Atlanta Audubon Shade-Grown Coffee Campaign (AASCC) has been increasing public awareness of the connection between neotropical migratory birds and traditional coffee farms. Managed and run by volunteers, the campaign aims to educate consumers about the positive role that shade-grown coffee and fair trade coffee play in conserving songbird habitat in the Latin American coffee-producing countries.

Find out more about the work being done by Atlanta Audubon to protect songbird habitats by clicking here.

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Think you know a lot about coffee? Then enter our Fair Grounds Trivia Contest. Click here for our question of the month. Entering is easy and it's FUN!

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http://natzoo.si.edu/smbc/
The home page for the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

http://www.songbird.org/index_main.htm 
The home page for The Songbird Foundation

http://www.audubon.org/bird/cafe.html
The National Audubon Society shares its perspective on coffee and the conservation of migratory birds.

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Whatever is not in nature can never be true.

— Voltaire

• July 2002
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• April 2002