Coffee at risk as deforestation dries up Brazil’s rain cycle

According to The New York Times, Brazil’s coffee production is increasingly threatened by deforestation, which disrupts rainfall patterns essential for growing the crop. A new Coffee Watch report finds that as forests are cleared for plantations, regional rain levels drop, leading to crop failures, lower yields, and rising global coffee prices.

Source The New York Times

Experts describe this as an ecological paradox: to meet surging demand, farmers destroy the very ecosystems that sustain coffee cultivation. In southeastern Brazil, once ideal for coffee thanks to steady rains and fertile soils, conditions have sharply deteriorated. By 2050, the report warns, coffee yields could halve while prices soar amid worsening droughts.

The findings echo studies by Brazilian scientists showing that deforestation in the Amazon has reduced rainfall by up to 75%. Despite efforts to curb forest loss, demand for coffee, soy, and cattle continues to drive destruction. The EU’s new law banning imports linked to deforestation adds pressure, but Brazil’s government resists compliance, arguing it harms national sovereignty and export revenue.