Ecosystem-based adaptation coffee Indonesia

The document examines the EECCLiRe project's efforts to implement ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) among coffee farmers in Ruteng and Bajawa, Flores. It identifies significant climate disruptions, including unpredictable rainfall and extreme events like a 2017 drought and 2020 storm, which have pushed some farmers toward horticulture. The brief highlights the tension between scientific methods—such as tree rejuvenation—and spiritual beliefs, as well as barriers like poor digital infrastructure for weather alerts and the loss of agricultural labor due to youth migration. It argues for a holistic EbA approach that combines traditional ecological insights with modern science and addresses gender and generational dynamics to avoid maladaptation.

• Climate change has caused substantial disruption to coffee production in Flores, characterized by delayed rainy seasons, prolonged dry spells, and increased pests and diseases, which reduce crop productivity and quality.
• Extreme weather events have led to severe economic losses, such as a 2017 drought that destroyed the Bajawa coffee harvest and a 2020 storm that reduced incomes by 80%, prompting some farmers to switch to horticulture.
• Vulnerability is exacerbated by non-climatic factors, including soil nutrient depletion from continuous cultivation, urban expansion reducing productive land by more than half in some areas, and labor shortages caused by youth migration.
• There is a cultural and spiritual tension regarding scientific adaptation techniques; for example, the practice of rejuvenating coffee trees by cutting them is viewed by some farmers as harming the spirit of the tree.
• The adoption of new EbA practices is hindered by economic constraints, such as the two-year income gap during tree regrowth and the cost of essential tools like pruning scissors.
• Digital infrastructure gaps limit the effectiveness of climate information services; in one focus group of 14 people, only three men owned smartphones, and signal instability hindered the use of WhatsApp for weather forecasts.
• Gender and generational dynamics influence adaptation, with women often being more open to applying new practices despite men remaining the primary decision-makers, while educated youth are receptive to technology but deterred by precarious agricultural incomes.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2025). Ecosystem-based adaptation coffee Indonesia. https://www.sei.org/publications/ecosystem-based-adaptation-coffee-indonesia/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Ecosystem-based adaptation coffee Indonesia. 2025. https://www.sei.org/publications/ecosystem-based-adaptation-coffee-indonesia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Ecosystem-based adaptation coffee Indonesia |date=21 January 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/ecosystem-based-adaptation-coffee-indonesia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2025ecosystembased, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Ecosystem-based adaptation coffee Indonesia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/ecosystem-based-adaptation-coffee-indonesia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }