Climate Change Story – Trouble brewing: Climate change and coffee

In the highlands of Timor-Leste, coffee is more than just a crop, it’s a legacy. Coffee is Timor-Leste’s most valuable cash crop and a well-established value chain accounting for 85-90 per cent of non-oil exports since the country’s independence. In 2023, Timor-Leste exported coffee to the value of USD14 million (AUD22 million), most of which was Arabica. Across the world’s coffee growing regions, climate change is already reducing yields and increasing the incidence of pests and disease. As temperatures rise, the delicate balance of the ecosystem that supports Arabica coffee is threatened. Extreme droughts in Brazil and Vietnam— large producers—caused coffee prices to soar in 2024. Experts predict that an increase in extreme weather events and temperatures will worsen price volatility and reduce future supply.