A Coffee Watch report links the “massive deforestation” in Brazil to coffee farming, and experts warn that consumers could soon feel the effect as supplies tighten and prices rise.

The country has lost more than 11 million hectares of forest between 2001 and 2023 — an area roughly the size of Honduras.

What’s happening?

Coffee is a major contributor to global deforestation, and Brazil, which exports one-third of the world’s supply, is central to that trend.

“Brazil needs to reverse course urgently because this deforestation isn’t just a carbon and biodiversity disaster — it’s also killing rains and leading to crop failures. Rains are failing where coffee expands at the expense of forests. As a result, climate shocks are hitting wallets. Brazil’s coffee future is on the line,” explained Coffee Watch director Etelle Higonnet.

Per Our World in Data, 5 million hectares of forest are lost every year. Agriculture, which entails clearing forests for crops, approximately drives three-quarters of global forest loss.

In a study published in Global Environmental Change, Brazil and Indonesia accounted for 40% of the world’s total loss of tropical forests.

Why is the link between coffee and deforestation in Brazil concerning?

For consumers, the biggest concern is cost. Deforestation and rising global temperatures disrupt rainfall patterns and dry out soil, affecting coffee yield and driving up coffee prices.

While extreme weather patterns have always existed, human activities have intensified them, making events like droughts in coffee-growing regions more frequent and severe.

Drought can cause coffee plants to lose leaves and kill the shade trees that protect them, NPR reported. Meanwhile, according to The New York Times, in 2024, the intense drought in Brazil led to coffee shortages, which caused global prices to skyrocket.

Growers also often plant coffee in large monocultures, which reduces biodiversity and puts stress on pollinators and soil systems. These changes ripple through food systems and affect both availability and cost.

Coffee growing and processing also use a huge amount of water and rely heavily on agrochemicals that affect the health of farmers, consumers, and the pollinators that help coffee thrive.

What’s being done about the deforestation in Brazil?

The European Union adopted the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products, which requires businesses that market their products in the EU to prove that these goods don’t come from or haven’t contributed to deforested lands.

According to the BBC, deforestation in Brazil declined under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who made ending forest loss a key goal.

Consumers play a major role in shaping coffee markets. Shopping smarter by intentionally choosing brands sourcing from farms that use eco-friendly methods is a solid start.

Discussing critical climate issues with friends and family also sparks conversation about the impact of deforestation and rising global temperatures on the food supply.

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