Wildfires in Brazil have devastated coffee farms, particularly in Caconde, where extreme drought and heat fueled the flames. Moacir Donizetti lost significant crops, highlighting the broader impact on global coffee prices, which surged 90% in 2024 due to climate challenges. Innovative farmers like Sergio Lange are adapting by planting coffee in shaded areas to combat heat stress and promote sustainable practices, aiming for long-term resilience in the face of climate change.
The Devastating Impact of Wildfires on Brazilian Coffee Farms
On a fateful September morning in 2024, Moacir Donizetti detected the acrid scent of burnt wood wafting through the air as he inspected his coffee trees. Unfortunately, just hours later, his farm fell victim to an inferno. “It was heart-wrenching to watch the flames approach, obliterating our crops and coming alarmingly close to my home,” recalls the 54-year-old Brazilian farmer. His experience was not unique; numerous farms around Caconde, the leading coffee-producing municipality in São Paulo state, suffered from what has been termed the worst fire in the region’s history.
The blaze likely ignited from a resident’s discarded garbage, but the rapid and uncontrollable spread was primarily fueled by the extreme drought that gripped Brazil throughout the previous year. The scorching temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns affecting Caconde create a ripple effect on coffee prices globally. Cities like Tokyo, Paris, and New York brace for rising costs of coffee due to the climate crisis impacting Brazil, the world’s foremost coffee producer and exporter. The Donizetti family battled the flames for four grueling days as they watched their picturesque landscape transform into a charred wasteland. Five hectares of their coffee crop were destroyed, which represented a significant portion of their expected harvest. “We not only lost this year’s yield but also jeopardized future ones, as it will take three to four years for this land to regain its productivity,” says Moacir, disheartened amid the ruins of his once-thriving coffee trees.
Climate Crisis and Rising Coffee Prices
Moacir notes that for the past five years, the weather has been increasingly arid. “There are stretches where it doesn’t rain for months, and the heat is relentless. When the flowering period arrives, the coffee becomes dehydrated and struggles to survive,” he adds. The year 2024 marked the hottest on record in Brazil, coinciding with a staggering rise in wildfires—the most significant occurrence in 14 years. The vast majority of these fires were human-caused, exacerbated by prolonged drought conditions linked to climate change.
Brazil accounts for over a third of the world’s coffee supply, which means the challenges faced by Brazilian farmers directly influence global coffee prices. In 2024, arabica coffee prices surged by 90%, reaching an unprecedented $3.48 per pound on December 10, breaking the previous record set in 1977. “Having worked in this industry for 35 years, I can confidently say I’ve never encountered such a challenging period,” states Brazilian coffee consultant Guy Carvalho. He attributes the price hikes to ongoing disappointments in harvest yields over the past four years and dim forecasts for 2025, compounded by geopolitical issues such as proposed tariffs by Donald Trump and new European regulations targeting products linked to deforestation.
Nonetheless, some Brazilian coffee producers are seeking innovative solutions to adapt to the climate crisis. In Divinolandia, located just 25 kilometers from Caconde, Sergio Lange has embraced an age-old practice: planting coffee trees in the shade of larger trees to shield them from extreme heat. “When I was born, winters were frigid, and water would freeze,” reflects the 67-year-old farmer. “That’s no longer the case. With rising temperatures, our current farming methods will soon be obsolete,” he warns. By planting coffee in shaded environments, reminiscent of its native habitat in Africa, Lange not only mitigates heat stress but also allows the beans to mature more slowly, resulting in larger and sweeter-tasting coffee beans that command higher prices.
In 2022, Sergio Lange, alongside about fifty other farmers, initiated a “regenerative coffee cultivation” model, which promotes the coexistence of coffee plants with various species, eliminates the use of pesticides, and utilizes natural spring water for irrigation. “While productivity may initially decline, we anticipate exceptional results in four to five years,” he asserts confidently, gesturing toward his coffee trees thriving in a forested hillside setting.