According to a new study, the areas of the world appropriate for growing coffee, cashews, and avocados will alter substantially as the world warms. By 2050, key coffee-producing regions in Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Colombia will have “dramatically decreased” by roughly 50%. The number of suitable regions for cashews and avocados will grow, although most will be far from current production zones. The authors say that more efforts must be made to assist farmers in adapting. Coffee is one of the most significant crops in the world, not only as a beverage but also as a source of income for millions of small farmers.

Avocado and cashew demand has risen dramatically in recent decades, owing to changing consumer preferences in wealthier countries. While the threat of climate change to coffee has received a lot of attention in recent years, less is known about how rising temperatures may affect avocados and cashews. The authors of this study examined how rising temperatures and shifting precipitation rates will affect the three crops over the next 30 years. For the first time, the researchers have included information about land and soil properties. The most vulnerable crop to hot temperatures is coffee. According to the analysis, suitability for growing Arabica – the leading coffee variety – will drop by half by 2050 in the nations that produce the majority of the world’s Arabica – a “drastic” reduction. There will be a greater impact in some important locations. In Brazil’s most appropriate coffee-growing locations, the lowest temperature scenario would result in a 76 percent drop.