RISING temperatures, the shift in rainfall patterns and the increase in pest and diseases is affecting the quality of coffee, says Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) chief operations officer Steven Tumae.
“Climate change is no longer a distant threat but it is already reshaping the landscape of coffee industry in the Highlands of PNG,” he said.
Tumae said a five-year partnership between the CIC, the Australian National University (ANU), Curtin University, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, University of Goroka, Nakau and Sustineo (CIC’s research partners) enabled partners to identify opportunities in the carbon coffee markets, and educating coffee farming communities on climate change impacts.
He addressed partners during a one-day symposium on climate change and carbon coffee opportunities in Port Moresby last
week.
Government and private sector representatives attended the meeting.
Tumae said climate change was already reshaping the landscape of coffee industry in the Highlands of PNG.
“Climate change is a serious threat and comes with many challenges and opportunities that only research can determine the difference between these opportunities presented by climate change,” he said.
Tumae said the CIC was in the final stages of developing the PNG climate change coffee policy to address challenges and opportunities brought about by climate change.
“Agroforestry systems have significant potential to secure carbon and contribute to global climate mitigation efforts,” he said.
“This is where carbon markets present an opportunity for the PNG coffee sector.
“Through this research partnership, the findings from the research presented will chart a new pathway for the industry amidst climate change challenges and the opportunities in the global carbon coffee markets.”
ANU strategic research and partnerships manager Ewelina Przybyszewski said that the two research projects they worked on was funded through Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (Aciar).
She said the research gave them an opportunity to work with their partners across PNG in exploring what carbon opportunities may look like in the context of a changing climate, specifically looking at coffee agroforestry or smallholder coffee farming systems in the Highlands of PNG.
