Bird Friendly Certification
Bird Friendly certification is a certification process for producers, traders, roasters and retailers of shade-grown coffee, organic coffee. The Bird Friendly certification uses criteria created by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center for the purpose of conserving habitat and biodiversity on coffee plantations and reducing agriculturally-driven deforestation. These criteria require at least 40% canopy coverage, a minimum number of tree species (many of them native species), minimum canopy height, vegetative buffer zones next to water sources and specific soil management practices.[1]
Coffees grown and sold to Bird Friendly standards can be identified by the gold Bird Friendly Habitat seal on bags of certified coffees, in grocery stores and cafés.[2] The label is verified and considered highly meaningful by Consumer Reports' Greener Choices Magazine.[3]
Benefits of Bird Friendly and other shade-grown coffees extend to mammalian populations, increased carbon sequestration, better soil health and water management, and economic and nutritional benefits to farmers.[4][5][6] Bird Friendly certified farmers typically earn anywhere from 5 to 12 cents more per pound of coffee purchased as Bird Friendly certified in addition to the premium earned through organic certification alone.[7]
History[edit]
Coffee is an understory crop, meaning it is traditionally cultivated beneath the shade of a forest canopy as part of a larger ecosystem. Vegetation layers provide food and shelter for animals and insects, soil replenishment through leaf litter, microclimate stabilization, and protection against soil erosion and excessive water run-off. When cultivated under traditional conditions, coffee "is one of the most environmentally benign and ecologically stable cash crops in the world."[8]
In order to increase yields, produce more quickly and prevent the spread of coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix), popular wisdom among agronomists led many coffee plantations to clear native forest in order to grow coffee under intensive sun conditions beginning in the 1970s. Though this method can increase yields, it has an adverse impact on ecosystems and coffee quality. [9] In order to compensate for the loss of natural insect-killing birds and bats and for the loss of the soil fertilization from trees resulting from deforestation, producers of sun-grown coffee must typically apply artificial pesticides and fertilizers.[10]
Migratory bird populations suffer from the loss of habitat due to deforestation driven by sun-grown coffee production practices.[11] Noticing the drastic decline in populations of migratory songbirds, coffee sector stakeholders convened at the First Sustainable Coffee Congress in 1996. Hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, the congress was tasked with developing market-based approaches to promote shade-grown coffee. Subsequently, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center created the standards behind the Bird Friendly certification based on the work of the congress, extensive field work and available science.[12]
Differences in Shade-growing Systems[edit]
There is no standardized definition for “shade-grown", which can create confusion among consumers.[13] Coffee so labeled may be grown under what are technically shady conditions, such as commercial polyculture and shade monoculture systems, but have relatively little species diversity, species richness or ecosystem services compared with rustic, traditional and commercial polyculture systems.[12] Bird Friendly certification represents these latter three types of shade.
Requirements for Certification[edit]
Biophysical Criteria[edit]
Bird Friendly coffee farms must meet the following bio-physical criteria:[14]
| Concept | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Height of canopy style | ≥12 meters for the canopy of the stratum made by the native “backbone” species (usually an Inga spp.) |
| Foliage cover | ≥40 percent, measured during dry season after pruning |
| Floristic diversity of trees and wood shrubs | ≥10 woody species (in addition to the backbone species).
At least 10 of these should represent 1 percent or more of all individuals sampled, and be dispersed throughout the coffee holding. Backbone species must be native to region. |
| Total floristic diversity | The sum of all woody and herbaceous species counted in the sampling. |
| Structural diversity | The “architecture” or profile of the coffee farm should show evidence of some layers or strata—preferably three.
1. The layer formed by the backbone species and other trees of that size; 2. The stratum of taller, emergent species, comprised of native trees of the natural forest; 3. The stratum beneath the principal canopy (that of the backbone species), made up of shrubs and small trees or plants, like Musa spp.and citrus. The emergent and understory strata each should ideally account for 20 percent of the total foliage volume present. The remaining 60 percent of the foliage volume should be that of the principal canopy (backbone species and trees of the same height as the backbone |
| Leaf litter | Should be present; no minimum percentage required, but, together with living ground cover, soil needs protecting (as with organic criteria). |
| Weeds/herbs/forbs | Should be present; no minimum percentage required. |
| Living fences | Where appropriate and feasible, should be present. |
| Buffer zones along waterways | Should exist and be composed of native vegetation. Along streams they should measure ≥5 meters wide (one each side); for rivers they should be ≥10 meters wide. |
| Visual characterization (gestalt) | Should qualify at least for the category “traditional polyculture” (the more diverse category of the polyculture systems). |
| Organic certification | Must have current organic certification by a USDA-accredited certification agency |
Organic Certification[edit]
Because organic certification is a prerequisite for Bird Friendly certification, nearly all synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides are prohibited in the production of Bird Friendly coffee. Organic certification also mandates the avoidance of genetically modified seed and use of farmland that has been free from prohibited chemical inputs for three years.[15]
All Bird Friendly coffee handled along the Bird Friendly coffee value chain must be separated physically or temporally from any other during the processes of depulping, washing and drying, storage, transport, roasting and marketing, and must be separately documented according to organic processing norms.
Inspection[edit]
To verify compliance with the criteria for Bird-Friendly coffee production, Bird Friendly coffee farms are inspected once every three years. Organic inspection and Bird Friendly inspection are often conducted by the same agency on the same farm inspection visit to save costs and labor.[16] All Certification Agencies of Bird Friendly coffee farms are agencies appear on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's accreditation list for the National Organic Program.[17]
Use of the Bird Friendly Seal[edit]
Bird Friendly is a registered trademark of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.[18] All marketing units using the Bird Friendly seal are required to have an active royalty agreement with the Smithsonian Institution. In exchange for the use of the Bird Friendly registered trademark and logo, traders and roasters of Bird Friendly coffee are required to provide the Smithsonian with a semi-annual report on the amount of Bird Friendly coffee sold and its origins. Roasters remit a semi-annual per-pound royalty fee to the Smithsonian Institution for the use of the seal, which contributes to the administration of the Bird Friendly program and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s field research.[19]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Quick look at differing shade criteria — Coffee & Conservation". www.coffeehabitat.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "About Bird Friendly Coffee". Smithsonian's National Zoo. 2017-01-30. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "Bird Friendly (Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center) - Greener Choices". greenerchoices.org. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ Caudill, S. Amanda; Rice, Robert A. (23 November 2016). "Do Bird Friendly Coffee Criteria Benefit Mammals? Assessment of Mammal Diversity in Chiapas, Mexico". PLOS ONE. 11 (11): e0165662. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165662. PMC 5120788. PMID 27880773.
- ↑ "Ecological Benefits of Shade Grown Coffee - Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center". nationalzoo.si.edu. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ Rice, Robert A. (1 September 2011). "Fruits from shade trees in coffee: how important are they?". Agroforestry Systems. 83 (1): 41–49. doi:10.1007/s10457-011-9385-4.
- ↑ "Bird Friendly Certification: Decidedly Good for Birds, But What About Farmers?". dailycoffeenews.com. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "about Shade Grown". www.beantrees.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "Sun-grown vs. shade-grown: how it impacts the environment and the farmers". dlgcoffee.org. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ Satran, Joe (29 April 2014). "The Coffee Industry Is Worse Than Ever For The Environment". Huffington Post. Retrieved 24 April 2018 – via Huff Post.
- ↑ "Neotropical Migratory Birds and Coffee Production - Avian Report". avianreport.com. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "What is shade-grown coffee? — Coffee & Conservation". www.coffeehabitat.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "Bird-Friendly Coffee Preserves Habitat—and Family Farms, Too - American Bird Conservancy". abcbirds.org. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "Bird Friendly Farm Criteria". Smithsonian's National Zoo. 2017-02-02. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "Organic certification". 6 March 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018 – via Wikipedia.
- ↑ "What is Bird Friendly coffee?". www.ethicalcoffee.net. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "Accredited Certifying Agents - Agricultural Marketing Service". www.ams.usda.gov. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "Apply for a Trademark. Search a Trademark". trademarkia.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "For Importers, Roasters and Distributors". Smithsonian's National Zoo. February 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
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