By Dr. Thomas S. Mullikin and Dr. Juan Carlos Valdivieso
Coffee has satisfied families across the world for generations. Historical records of coffee drinking date back to the middle of the 15th century, and the roasting and brewing of coffee remain remarkably similar. Recently, “coffee has experienced a 67.9 % surge in demand in the last 26 years alone, and is now considered one of the world's most economically important traded commodities, with the global coffee industry worth around US $60 billion as of 2022.” (Manson, S., et al, p. 2. 2024)
Key Points
- Galapagos coffee blends ecological protection with agritourism.
- Shade-grown coffee supports biodiversity and soil health.
- Sustainable farming boosts yields and ecosystem services.
- Agritourism offers additional income for local farmers.
- Eco-friendly coffee production helps preserve the islands’ environment.
Coffee was introduced to the Galápagos by Manuel Cobos, who has been referred to as the “Emperor of the Galápagos”. Cobos arrived on San Cristobal island, Galapagos in 1866 and built a colony known as “El Progresso”. By 1879, Cobos introduced coffee beans from the French Caribbean nations to his land holdings. These beans, along with sugar cane, became a major staple of “El Progresso” and the island of San Cristobal.
Those early days of coffee growing have recently proven to be fruitful to another generation of coffee farmers in the highlands of San Cristobal. With a commitment to the protection of their internationally recognized biomes, these coffee farmers working in the biodiverse-sensitive archipelago are also working toward carbon neutrality with their farms. Their brand of coffee is considered some of the best in the world.
Coffee growing has a vast upside of ensuring the protection and conservation of the coveted highlands for agriculture and the evolving area of agritourism. This sector of tourism that combines agriculture and tourism is growing in popularity and provides additional income for small and large farms. The Galapagonian have “profoundly transformed the humid highlands of inhabited islands in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.” (p. III, Francisco J. Laso: Agriculture, Wildlife, and Conservation in the Galápagos Islands)
To keep up with the increasing global demand for coffee, coffee farmers have utilized “shade cover often provided in traditional, smallholder coffee farms” (Manson, S., et al., p. 2. 2024). Some micro farms have “been sacrificed to allow for agricultural intensification, such as mechanisation and yield optimization.” (Manson, S., et al, p. 2. 2024). Smaller farms in San Cristobal, however, have the ability to grow crops and provide critical assistance to address social, economic, and environmental benefits.
These farmers are also vigilant and mindful of the “pressure exerted by both tourists and locals on the archipelago's modern fossil-fuel fuel economy, water consumption, food production, and waste management network is directly related to the degradation of the natural wonders that made Galapagos world-famous.” (Laso, F. J. (2021, p. 30)“Agriculture, wildlife, and conservation in the Galápagos Islands”). Given the extremely sensitive biomes of the Galapagos, caution must be taken to address potential negative consequences such as those that impact “social inequalities and integration into global markets (that) have caused the degradation of the social and environmental fabric of the Galapagos, as was seen in the case of the now collapsed sea cucumber industry and the riots sparked by its regulation.” (Laso, F. J., 2021, p. 30, Agriculture, wildlife, and conservation in the Galápagos Islands).
The Highlands of San Cristobal have shown that multi-use farming can protect diversity while providing additional sources of income. “Shade coffee is the practice of growing coffee under varying levels of canopy cover to produce optimal climatic conditions for coffee growth, whilst also providing habitats for a diverse array of species.” Finding a balance for land conservation with environmental protection and economic viability is crucial. “Aligning crop production with conservation initiatives has long been a topic of debate, with agricultural intensification threatening biodiversity across the globe. Shade-grown coffee allows farmers to preserve biodiversity by providing viable habitat.” Shade for various crops has been introduced to maximize value of conservation and farming activities. “Shade cover is one aspect of a strategy for conserving species within farms referred to as land-sharing. Land-sharing comprises the integration of farmland and native, diverse vegetation within the same landscape. Thus, biodiversity conservation is attempted through the provision of habitat for wildlife.” (Manson, p. 1). The shade tree coffee farmers in the Galapagos can also access increased income via certifications and the possibility of conservation payments.” (Manson, S., et al, 2024 p.2). Ultimately, these farms bolster “ecosystem service provision through the presence of wildlife within and around coffee farms, including natural pest control, pollination and soil fertility, assisting farmers with yield and, in turn, income. (Manson, S., et al, p. 2, , 2024).
The coffee farmers in the Galapagos are dedicated to developing their farms to provide the most popular and most enjoyed beverage in the world. They proudly market their unique Galapagos coffee grow in one of the most remarkable and fragile ecosystems on earth. Furthermore, by ensuring protection of the shade trees in the diverse biomes of the highlands of San Cristobal, Galapagos the “tree species can make microclimate conditions more suitable for coffee, and increase crop yield; provide greater input of plant residues on the soil surface, which may contribute to greater soil protection and decreased erosion losses; increased organic matter content and soil fertility, in addition to improved soil physical quality.” (Jacome et al, 2020. p. 1, “Soil attributes and coffee yield in an agroforestry system).
Conservation through enhanced biodiversity within the coffee farms of the Galapagos “is not only important in terms of conservation, but for farmers also. The presence of wildlife is vital in order for smallholder farmers to receive essential ecosystem services, such as pest control, pollination and soil quality improvement.” (De Beenhouwer et al., 2013; Jha et al., 2011). In particular, the increased soil macrofauna populations, such as nematodes, can lead to better nutrient distribution; increased bird, ant and nematode populations can increase natural predation of coffee berry borers…the coffee industry's most expensive pest (at the cost of US$500 million per year); and increased shade has been found to increase pollinator diversity and visitation time.” (Manson et al., p. 2, 2024).
Coffee trees can contribute to soil health as the total contribution to the “conservation of biodiversity and its capacity to adapt coffee production to future climate change, coffee agroforestry offers a promising strategy for the area.” (de Souza, H. N., et al,de, 2012, p. 179) Protective shade, tree diversity and soil properties in coffee agroforestry systems in the Atlantic Rainforest biome. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 146(1), 179-196). Studies have shown that “diversification of agroecosystems to enhance agrobiodiversity and ecological processes can simultaneously support biodiversity conservation and the delivery of a range of supporting, provisioning and regulating ecosystem services that enhance the sustainability and resilience of agricultural systems. Sustainable production and biodiversity conservation can be mutually supportive in providing multiple ecosystem services to farmers and society.” (p. 179, de Souza, et al., 2012, p. 179).
The adverse manifestations of global climate change will likely affect smallholder farmers and indigenous communities in particular. These stakeholders have had the smallest impact - if any - on the macro atmospheric phenomenon. They are now working to show the world that one can positively impact and conserve land while building a sustainable economic model. The “agroforestry provides temperature regulation as an ecosystem service, thereby offering an adaptation strategy for small coffee growers in response to global warming. Agroforestry could significantly reduce the risk of loss of coffee production” (de Souza, et al, 2012, p. 187) while also maintaining carbon sinking and diverse biomes. These coffee farming initiatives can “preserve biodiversity both directly and indirectly bolster ecosystems against climate change and actively promote synergistic benefits to mitigate climate. Furthermore, the quality of coffee, i.e., taste, actively improves with increased shade.” (Manson, p. 2, 2024)
One recent study found that “70 % of coffee farmers worldwide are smallholders, meaning that ecosystem service provision, climate change mitigation and sustainable incomes become particularly important.” (Manson, p. 2, 2024). These farmers are protecting biodiversity while also “burdening smallholder farmers with the responsibility to produce a high-demand commodity crop whilst also preserving habitat for threatened species, including Critically Endangered mammals and birds.” (Manson, p. 2, 2024)
Sustainable tourism - including agritourism - could impact “the environment and the local community…the high growth rate from this loosely-regulated and highly-profitable economic sector makes changes particularly hard to manage.” Laso, et al, 2021, p. 30). Thoughtful planning needs to consider the saturation rate of tourism in fragile and significant ecosystems like the Galápagos.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM Dr. Juan Carlos Valdivieso
Sustainable tourism within the context of the Galápagos Islands represents a critical crossroads between ecological management, cultural heritage conservation, and economic viability. The Galápagos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are recognized globally for their unique biodiversity and fragile ecosystems. As tourism continues to grow, it is imperative that the development and promotion of tourism activities, are conducted in a manner that prioritizes environmental sustainability and socio-economic equity.
The development of tourism in the Galápagos Islands commenced in the late 1960s, experiencing exponential growth that culminated in a record number of tourist arrivals by 2023. In the initial stages of tourism in the Galápagos, tour operators predominantly focused on facilitating visits through small cruise ships, which enabled tourists to explore the more remote regions of the archipelago. In response to requests from residents of the four inhabited islands, the Galápagos National Park Directorate adjusted itineraries to include stops in the towns located on these islands. This adjustment led to the establishment of additional services catering to tourists. The expansion of the tourism sector necessitated an increase in the local workforce, thereby contributing to the growth of the island population. The resident population expanded from 8,611 in 1990 to 17,451 by 2001, and further increased to 25,244 by 2015 (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos, 2015). The rapid population growth, compounded by the challenges posed by the recent pandemic, has prompted the local population to explore new alternatives for sustainable development.
In 2018, the number of tourists arriving on the islands was 276,000. In 2020, this number dropped to 73,000 tourists (Dirección & del Parque Nacional Galápagos, s. f.). If we take into account that 80% of the economy of the islands is associated, directly or indirectly to tourism (Pizzitutti et al., 2017), the local population had to rethink the sources of income for the islands (Burbano et al., 2022). Currently, the number of tourists arriving to the islands is 329,475 (Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos, 2024).
Considering that the year 2023 was the historical record of tourist arrivals to the islands and that during the pandemic the population had to rethink the ways of doing tourism, there are currently new tourism ventures that offer different services to those traditionally carried out in the archipelago. As tourism continues to grow, it is imperative that the development and promotion of tourism activities, including those centered around coffee production, are conducted in a manner that prioritizes environmental sustainability and socio-economic equity (Espin et al., 2019; Vasconez & Weber, 2023).
The socio-economic impact of sustainable tourism in the Galápagos is multifaceted. On one hand, it provides an alternative and supplementary source of income for local communities, particularly those involved in small-scale farming. On the other hand, it presents an opportunity for visitors to observe a different perspective on the reality of uninhabited areas. By integrating these practices into the tourism experience, farmers can enhance the cultural value of their product, thereby differentiating Galápagos coffee in a competitive global market.
Citations
de Souza, H. N., de Goede, R. G., Brussaard, L., Cardoso, I. M., Duarte, E. M., Fernandes, R. B., ... & Pulleman, M. M. (2012). Protective shade, tree diversity and soil properties in coffee agroforestry systems in the Atlantic Rainforest biome. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 146(1), 179-196.
Laso, F. J. (2021). Agriculture, wildlife, and conservation in the Galápagos Islands.
Jácome, M. G. O., Mantovani, J. R., da Silva, A. B., Rezende, T. T., & Landgraf, P. R. C. (2020). Soil attributes and coffee yield in an agroforestry system. Coffee Science-ISSN 1984-3909, 15, e151676-e151676. Maximo Gerardo Ochoa Jácome, Tiago Teruel Rezende. José Ricardo Mantovani, Paulo Roberto Côrrea. Landgraf1, Adriano Bortolotti da Silva 2020
Manson, S., Nekaris, K. A. I., Nijman, V., & Campera, M. (2024). Effect of shade on biodiversity within coffee farms: A meta-analysis. Science of the Total Environment, 169882.
Burbano, D. V., Valdivieso, J. C., Izurieta, J. C., Meredith, T. C., & Ferri, D. Q. (2022). “Rethink and reset” tourism in the Galapagos Islands: Stakeholders’ views on the sustainability of tourism development. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 3(2), 100057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2022.100057
Dirección & del Parque Nacional Galápagos. (s. f.). Informe Anual de Visitantes a las Áreas Protegidas de Galápagos del año 2020.
Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos. (2024). Informe anual ingreso de visitantes a las áreas protegidas de Galápagos del año 2023 (p. 14).
Espin, P. A., Mena, C. F., & Pizzitutti, F. (2019). A Model-Based Approach to Study the Tourism Sustainability in an Island Environment: The Case of Galapagos Islands. En T. Kvan & J. Karakiewicz (Eds.), Urban Galapagos (pp. 97-113). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99534-2_7
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos. (2015). Principales resultados Censo de Población y Vivienda Galápagos 2015.
Pizzitutti, F., Walsh, S. J., Rindfuss, R. R., Gunter, R., Quiroga, D., Tippett, R., & Mena, C. F. (2017). Scenario planning for tourism management: A participatory and system dynamics model applied to the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(8), 1117-1137. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2016.1257011
Vasconez, J., & Weber, C. (2023). Sustainable Tourism Management in the Galapagos Islands: A Scenario Analysis of Key Factors for Digital Adoption. 2023 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), 1-15. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10216838/
