India is perhaps the only country in the world growing all its coffee under the canopy of a three tiered shade system. Shade grown coffee is not only environment friendly; it also has a host of other benefits.
Due to timber logging and rampant poaching for ivory, the forest itself is in trouble. The elephant range has become more and more fragmented. Elephants are no longer safe because there is a prize on the elephants head.
The survival of the coffee bush depends on the possibility of providing adequate soil moisture during the dry months. Thus the important question that comes to mind is finding out ways and means of maximizing the efficiency of soil water retention for greater productivity and sustainability.
