A new report from the advocacy group Coffee Watch details the significant environmental and social costs associated with Vietnam's rise as a global coffee powerhouse. The analysis, titled "Robusta’s Reckoning," argues that the country's volume-focused production model has led to widespread deforestation, water depletion, and smallholder vulnerability in its key growing regions.
According to the report, Vietnam's coffee expansion, concentrated in the Central Highlands, is linked to the clearing of over 207,000 hectares of tropical forest since 1990. The resulting full-sun cultivation systems have created intense pressure on natural resources. The report cites that between 57% and 95% of irrigation water comes from groundwater, forcing some wells to be deepened from 15 to 45 meters. This, combined with heavy chemical use, is increasing the ecological fragility of the region.
The analysis also highlights the precarious position of the approximately 640,000 smallholder families who generate about 95% of the nation's coffee. Issues such as rural poverty, insecure land titles, and weak record-keeping could pose significant challenges for compliance with new regulations like the European Union's Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR). The report warns this could lead to a two-tier market, potentially excluding smaller, less-resourced farmers from the European supply chain.