Carbon footprint of organic coffee: Peruvian case study

In Peru, organic agriculture has emerged as a promising avenue for creating prosperity through the production of premium, value-added goods. Among the array of agricultural exports from Peru, organic coffee stands out as a highly significant product, celebrated internationally for its exceptional quality. Thus, there is an opportunity to address this study from the environmental point of view by focusing on greenhouse gas emissions in coffee production and adopting the principles of a circular economy. This approach not only promises to improve farmers' overall performance but also holds the potential to mitigate the environmental repercussions related with their production processes.

The aim of this research is to analyze the carbon footprint of organic coffee that is produced by small farmers who are members of a cooperative situated in the northern region of Peru. To achieve this objective, the above-mentioned environmental impact during the production of organic green coffee was calculated using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. This research also seeks to discern about disparities between the practices of farmers who already possess their organic certification and those currently in the certification process as well as assesses the relative eco-efficiency of these production units. Besides the absence of significant differences between those who have their organic certification and those who apply organic practices in their fields but are in the process of certification, results show that the carbon footprint of 1 kg of green coffee placed in port is estimated at 0.90 kg CO₂e.