Some Like It Hot: The Influence and Implications of Climate Change on Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei) and Coffee Production in East Africa

Abstract

The negative effects of climate change are already evident for many of the 25 million coffee farmers across the tropics and the 90 billion dollar (US) coffee industry. The coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), the most important pest of coffee worldwide, has already benefited from the temperature rise in East Africa: increased damage to coffee crops and expansion in its distribution range have been reported. In order to anticipate threats and prioritize management actions for H. hampei we present here, maps on future distributions of H. hampei in coffee producing areas of East Africa. Using the CLIMEX model we relate present-day insect distributions to current climate and then project the fitted climatic envelopes under future scenarios A2A and B2B (for HADCM3 model). In both scenarios, the situation with H. hampei is forecasted to worsen in the current Coffea arabica producing areas of Ethiopia, the Ugandan part of the Lake Victoria and Mt. Elgon regions, Mt. Kenya and the Kenyan side of Mt. Elgon, and most of Rwanda and Burundi. The calculated hypothetical number of generations per year of H. hampei is predicted to increase in all C. arabica-producing areas from five to ten. These outcomes will have serious implications for C. arabica production and livelihoods in East Africa. We suggest that the best way to adapt to a rise of temperatures in coffee plantations could be via the introduction of shade trees in sun grown plantations. The aims of this study are to fill knowledge gaps existing in the coffee industry, and to draft an outline for the development of an adaptation strategy package for climate change on coffee production. An abstract in Spanish is provided as Abstract S1.

The coffee rust crises in Colombia and Central America (2008–2013): impacts, plausible causes and proposed solutions

“…Coffee rust is not the only pest to fear. Coffee berry borer (H. hampei) will also increase as a threat to coffee (Jaramillo et al 2011). There are therefore some warning signs that certain pests and diseases will highly impact the coffee crop as climate change progresses, especially if no appropriate actions are taken in the near future.…”

Quantifying pest control services by birds and ants in Kenyan coffee farms

“…Coffee is the most valuable tropical export crop in the world, with a value of approximately US $90 billion (Jaramillo et al 2011). Management of coffee farms can therefore significantly influence biodiversity, because of the crop's high value and its cultivation in the tropics.…”

“…Coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), the most important biological coffee pest worldwide (Jaramillo et al 2006), is projected to expand in both range and abundance due to warming temperatures in East Africa (Jaramillo et al 2011). Therefore, it is vital to gain a better understanding of the provisioning of natural pest control services and important underlying influences.…”

“…Despite uncertainty about the method through which predators are influencing pest control, the different farm types and surrounding habitat had a clear impact on pest control services. With coffee pests such as coffee berry borer projected to expand in both range and abundance with climate change (Jaramillo et al 2011) and the impacts of different management strategies on pest populations being highly context-dependent (Jonsson 2014), the provisioning of natural pest control services will only increase in importance. In conclusion, these results suggest that a land sharing approach, via both the integration of shade trees and the conservation of small forest fragments within a farm, can support increased levels of pest control services provided by both birds and ants in Kenyan coffee farms.…”

Zoneamento de <i>Hypothenemus hampei</i> (Ferrari, 1867) e <i>Leucoptera coffeella</i> (Guérin-Mèneville, 1842), pragas do cafeeiro no Brasil e na Colômbia, com base nas exigências térmicas

“…Diversos trabalhos têm sido desenvolvidos, para a broca-do-café, H. hampei, na África (JARAMILLO et al, 2011) no Brasil para o bicho-mineiro-do-cafeeiro, Perileucoptera coffeella Guérin-Mèneville (PARRA, 1985), para a mosca-africana-do-figo, Zaprionus indianus (NAVA et al, 2007), para a mosca-do-Mediterrâneo, Ceratitis capitata (RICALDE et al, 2012), entre outros.…”