Why you should care about open-source agronomy

Chances are, you haven’t heard much about open-source agronomy. But as a coffee lover, it affects you directly because it’s the key to ensuring the future of quality coffee. "Open-source" means sharing information. "Agronomy" means "the science of soil management and crop production." Starbucks believes in doing just that. For the last decade we have been taking an open-source approach with our latest research from places like our Global Agronomy Center in Costa Rica, and sharing our tools, best practices, and resources with growers around the world — whether they sell to us or not.

Today’s farmers are facing constant challenges to their sustainability and Starbucks is committed to helping them.

Farmer Support Centers are the Key

Starbucks currently operates Farmer Support Centers in key coffee producing countries around the world, from Costa Rica to Rwanda. There, farmers get free access to the latest findings of our top agronomists like Carlos Mario Rodriguez, including new varietals of disease-resistant trees, and advanced soil management techniques.

The goal is to build upon traditional growing methods to help farmers continue to improve both the quality of their crops, and their profitability, ensuring the future of high quality coffees for everyone.