UK

According to a report issued by Fairtrade company Cafédirect, climate change "is already wreaking havoc on the livelihoods of small-scale tea and coffee farmers in some of the world’s poorest countries."

The company, together with with the state-funded German Technical Corporation, conducted a three-year research program covering Kenya, Mexico, Peru and Nicaragua. It has now published results that indicate that tea and coffee growers are already planting at increasingly elevated sites, on average at between to 3-4 meters higher annually, to compensate for rising temperatures,

"A huge number of growers are now experiencing increased instances of pestilence and disease from rises in temperature," according to Anne MacCaig, chief executive of Cafédirect. "They are also facing prolonged drought and changing weather patterns."

MacCaig believes western nations have a responsibility to help poorer nations protect themselves against the effects of climate changes.

"What’s crucial is that there’s an option of sustainable adaptation to safeguard the supply chain," she said. "Climate change is affecting those least able to deal with it. We can’t underestimate that."

Up to 30 million farmers who are unable to invest in advanced irrigation systems could see earnings drop by up to 90% over the next 15 years, according to the study.