Coffee Farmers Face ‘Mega Emergency’ as Fertilizer Costs Soar
Yields at risk as growers consider nutrient-saving measures.
In Nicaragua, coffee farmers are slashing fertilizer purchases just to make ends meet. In Guatemala, growers are diluting nutrients to stretch scarce supplies. And in Costa Rica, producers are betting that their soil holds enough lingering nutrients to carry them through the next planting season.
Small-scale farmers in some of the world’s richest coffee-producing regions are struggling to find alternatives to counter soaring fertilizer costs that threaten their livelihoods, even considering desperate measures that could ultimately undermine a much-needed global rebound in supplies. Some are considering organic waste as a cheap substitute to nitrogen, phosphorous and potash fertilizers, even though such a move could significantly reduce yields.