The coffee belt of the Earth is an imaginary band that is located on the surface of the Earth between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
It is located 23.5 degrees south and north of the equator and includes more than 80 states.
Climate specific
Basically you can divide the coffee belt into regions:
Africa Asia and Oceania, Central and South America, and Australia.
These areas have a specific combination of climatic and geographical features that suits for successful coffee growing. Different parts of this belt with different factors suit different types and varieties of coffee trees.
For example, for Arabica, the most comfortable temperature is 18-21 °C, and for Robusta - 5-30 °C.
Conditions
What conditions do coffee trees need: temperature, rain, and lighting.
Coffee is a capricious plant. In order for coffee trees to feel good and regularly bring a quality crop, they need certain conditions:
A sufficiently large amount of precipitation - 1500-2500 mm per year;
The average temperature is from 15 to 30°C during the day, but never below 0°C;
Abundant but diffused lighting. Plants need sunlight for photosynthesis, the process by which fruits grow, form, and ripen. Direct sunlight speeds up this process, but the taste of coffee becomes less exciting and complex. Therefore, most often coffee is grown in the shade of taller trees.
All these conditions are just observed in the coffee belt. Far beyond it, it is possible to artificially recreate the necessary humidity and temperature, but not the level of sunlight intensity. That is why the lighting factor is the key in coffee farming.
Earth - facts
The earth rotates at an angle of 23.4 degrees. The distance from the equator line to the sun is practically unchanged throughout the year: this area is illuminated the same way all year round. The closer to the poles, the greater the difference in solar radiation intensity between summer and winter becomes.
When the northern hemisphere leans towards the sun, summer sets in, and the number of light increases. At the same time, in the south, the opposite is happening: the amount of light decreases, and winter comes.
Away from the equator, farms receive more sunlight in the summer months than in winter. For example, in the tropics in the summer at noon, the sun's rays fall on the earth's surface at an angle of 90 degrees. And in winter at the same time of day - at an angle of 47 degrees. Thus, in summer, the illumination is more intense because the solar energy is concentrated on a smaller area of the earth's surface.
These facts need to be known to farmers - especially those who grow coffee at or beyond the edge of the coffee belt. In those areas, it is very important to get as much sunlight as possible.
Can coffee grow outside the coffee belt?
As we already know, the most comfortable conditions for growing coffee are inside the coffee belt. But still, outside of it, coffee can grow, ripe and become delicious.
California, USA.
Farmer Jay Ruskey at Good Land Organics. Photo: Julie Miller, source: Traveller.com.au
This state borders Mexico to the south, and this area is located very close to the coffee belt. The climatic conditions here are very close to those that coffee trees need.
Coffee was first grown in the area by Mark Gaskell, UCCE small farms advisor, and Jay Ruskey, founder of Good Land Organics' exotic fruit farm in Santa Barbara. Mark had experience developing coffee farms in Panama and decided to try growing coffee in California. To do this, in 2002, he gave Jay Ruskey 40 coffee seedlings, which he planted on his farm among avocado trees. After 5–6 years, they began to bring a stable harvest.
In 2014, Ruskey first submitted his Californian coffee to Coffee Review, which has been grading coffee using its own 100-point system since 1997. His caturra crop ranked 27th among all proposed lots and received a score of 92 points.
In 2017, Jay Raskey and his associates founded Frinj Coffee. A year later, Good Land Organics joined it. Today, Frinj Coffee supports over 65 coffee farmers in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Diego counties.
Yunnan, Fujian and Hainan, China.
Yunnan Province is located on the very border of the coffee belt. Coffee production began here in 1914. There are several growing regions in this area. However, all of them are mainly located south of the city of Mujiang, which is divided into two parts by the Tropic of Cancer. To the north of the tropic, coffee has not yet been grown. Arabica is cultivated in Yunnan and produces 95% of the country's total coffee crop.
The remaining 5% falls on Robusta, which is also cultivated on the edge of the coffee belt - in Fujian province and on the island of Hainan. Most of the coffee plantations are located at an altitude of 1000-2000 meters above sea level in mountainous areas.
Sicily, Italy.
In the summer of 2021, Arturo Morettino and his son Andrea harvested a 30 kg Italian coffee crop for the first time.
Summary
Growing conditions are very important for coffee to become delicious.
The correct level of humidity, temperature and especially sunlight is crucious. Coffee trees can receive the necessary amount of light only within the boundaries of the coffee belt, as well as close to this zone as possible.
In other areas, coffee cultivation has so far been unsuccessful.