Impact of climate change on the aptitude of coffee growing in Costa Rica.
Abstract
This study intends to use the data of four emission scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5) in two periods of time (2050 and 2080) to determine the impact of climate change on the coffee crop for the coffee regions of Costa Rica. The study was carried out with the georeferenced points obtained from ICAFE (Coffee Institute of Costa Rica) and using the MaxEnt model as a simulator of the adaptability of coffee cultivation. The results show that there are differences between scenarios, but there are trends such as in the case of the temperature that increases in all scenarios while the precipitation has to decrease with the exception of Turrialba, which increases between 60 and 160mm accumulated annual average. On average, coffee cultivation tends to decrease adaptability, with the Central and Western Valle regions being the most affected, the Tarrazú and Pérez Zeledón regions increase with values of 13% and 15% in areas with a high altitude. Agroforestry innovations and timely and adequate management of the crop are some of the mitigation and adaptation strategies of climate change in coffee cultivation, providing tools and knowledge to the coffee grower to be resilient in the face of change.