These plantations have become increasingly rare during the past two decades as a more intensive way of growing coffee has become more popular. Known as sun or open-field plantations, these are farms where all vegetation has been removed and replaced with rows of coffee plants, which makes for poor wildlife habitat. In addition, because coffee plants naturally prefer growing in the shade, owners of sun plantations need fertilizers and pesticides to help their coffee plants grow. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the Vermont Institute of Natural Science have teamed up in an effort to make more people aware of how their coffee purchases can help songbirds. By buying shade-grown coffee, we coffee drinkers in Vermont can support the owners of shade plantations, which, in turn, keeps winter habitat in place for songbirds.
Demand drives supply.
If your grocery store doesn t carry certified shade-grown coffee, ask for it. If you simply can t find shade-grown, organic coffee is a good substitute, as most organic coffee is grown in shade plantations. If you re already buying specialty coffee, the switch to shade- grown costs just a few pennies more per cup. As some of our favorite songbirds return to Vermont for the summer, please think about giving shade-grown coffee a try. James E. Bressor is the Director of Media and Public Relations at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.