Climate Change Takes Toll on Coffee Growers, Drinkers Too

First reported March 6, 2011 · Updated October 28, 2026

March 6, 2011 | Dota, Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s coffee industry is confronting a difficult question in 2011: how can farms producing high-quality arabica beans adapt to changing temperatures, less predictable rain and increasing pressure on yields? In the mountains around Santa María de Dota, growers rely on a delicate combination of altitude, sunshine, rainfall and cool nights. Small shifts in that balance can alter flowering, ripening and disease risk.

Coffee has shaped Costa Rica’s economy and landscape for generations. Highland regions such as Tarrazú and Dota are known for carefully managed arabica plantations. As weather patterns become less dependable, growers must make decisions about shade, soil, irrigation, plant varieties and the placement of their crops.

The problem is not simply warmer weather

Arabica coffee requires specific growing conditions, but the effects of climate change vary from farm to farm. More heat at lower elevations can increase stress on plants and change where productive cultivation is possible. At higher elevations, unusually cold nights, strong winds or untimely rain can also damage harvests.

One of the most sensitive parts of the growing cycle is flowering. Coffee trees respond to seasonal moisture changes. Rain that arrives at an unexpected time can trigger flowering before conditions are favorable for fruit development. Heavy precipitation can also increase erosion on steep farms and create conditions that favor certain fungal diseases.

These challenges come on top of existing economic pressures, including the age of coffee trees, labor availability and the costs of replanting. It is therefore misleading to attribute every weak harvest to climate change alone. Farmers and scientists are trying to understand the relative importance of each factor.

How growers can adapt

Shade trees, improved soil management and maintaining ground cover can help moderate temperatures and protect slopes. Farmers can also experiment with varieties chosen for local conditions and renew old plantations gradually rather than replacing an entire farm at once.

Some producers are testing cultivation at different elevations. That can provide cooler temperatures, but moving uphill is not always possible. Suitable land may be unavailable, soil conditions change with altitude, and higher areas can carry different risks from wind, cloud cover and fungal infection.

Cooperative organizations provide an important way for smaller farmers to share technical information. In the Dota area, Coopedota has also been developing environmental practices, including energy management and efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of coffee processing.

What happened next

A detailed report by journalist Melissa Allison, published in early March 2011, documented the experience of coffee growers dealing with unusual rainfall, wind and temperature patterns.

The issue became more urgent in 2012 and 2013, when coffee leaf rust, or roya, caused severe difficulties across Central America. Costa Rica’s Coffee Institute, ICAFE, subsequently documented the disease response and support efforts for affected farms. Leaf rust has multiple contributing factors, so its outbreak should not be described as proof of a single weather cause.

Questions and answers

Why is Costa Rican coffee vulnerable to weather changes? Flowering, fruit development and disease pressure are sensitive to rain, temperature and altitude.

Does higher elevation always solve the problem? No. Higher locations can introduce different soil, wind and moisture conditions.

What happened after 2011? The industry also faced a major regional coffee-rust emergency in 2012 and 2013.

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