Author Archives: Jefferson Shriver

Adding Spice to the Coffeelands in Nicaragua’s Dry Corridor

2016-04-29 Comments Off on Adding Spice to the Coffeelands in Nicaragua’s Dry Corridor

The coffeelands of Central America’s “dry corridor” are becoming major testing grounds of perseverance and innovation in the face of climate change. According to a report from the InterAmerican Institute for Agriculture Cooperation (IICA) in May 2015, “The Central American Dry Corridor and the Dry Arch area of Panama, given their long dry season and the […]

Responding to the Climate Crisis through Crop Diversification

2015-10-23 Comments Off on Responding to the Climate Crisis through Crop Diversification

My first job after college was working as an intern with Sojourners Magazine and eventually as an assistant to founder, author and Editor Jim Wallis. He would remind me time and again that our worldview is shaped heavily by where we live and what we see out our front window every day.  Living in inner […]

Coffee and Drought: A Costly Combination for Farmers

2015-10-16 Comments Off on Coffee and Drought: A Costly Combination for Farmers

It is no secret that the current El Niño phenomenon has caused drought in the global coffeelands, particularly Central America, the Caribbean, and East Africa. Drought conditions in Central America and the Caribbean are occurring for the second consecutive year, wreaking havoc on cash crops, food staples, and livestock. Satellite-derived rainfall estimates indicate that the […]

Bird Friendly Coffee: Good for the farmers?

2015-05-22 Comments Off on Bird Friendly Coffee: Good for the farmers?

Dr. Robert Rice is commonly referred to as the coffee industry’s “voice of the birds,” and the certification he represents the gold standard for environmentally friendly coffee. That point is difficult to argue:  The Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center’s Bird Friendly coffee certification requires farmers to be organic certified, possess at least ten different species of trees […]