Coffee in Sumatra

Stacy Philpott, postdoctoral fellow with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, journeyed to Sumatra to study biodiversity in coffee farms.

Sumatra is a large island in Indonesia, a country made up of many islands that are located between Australia and China in southeast Asia.

In recent years coffee farming has expanded dramatically in southeast Asia, creating a glut on the world market and depressed prices.

As it does in other areas of the coffee world, Asian coffee production typically emphasizes increased production through higher yields (amount of coffee per unit area) by managing sun coffee, often at the cost of the local environment.