“Coffee occupies something in the order of 10 million hectares worldwide and most of it is grown in biodiversity hot spots.”

Robert Rice is on a mission. A research geographer from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Rice is obsessed with coffee and its effects on birds. No it’s not the little tweeters’ consumption of caffeine that is an issue, but ours!  Rice blames the loss of valuable songbird wintering habitats on the industrialized farming methods that have taken over coffee farming.  He travels to bio-diversity hot spots where coffee is grown to train coffee farmers in the methodology, benefits and certification of organic, shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee.

Dr. Rice is a Research Scientist with the Bird Friendly coffee certification program at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center in Washington DC.