In Costa Rica’s Los Santos region, famous for producing nearly half the country’s coffee, farmers are reeling from heavy losses driven by wild weather. Climate change is hitting hard, with an estimated ₡11.5 billion ($22.1 million) in crop losses this season, according to the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (ICAFE). The region’s 13,000 coffee-growing families, mostly small and medium-scale producers, are struggling to stay afloat as harvests shrink and debts pile up.
Take one farmer’s story: she expected 450 bushels from her 2024–2025 crop but harvested only 350, losing 100 bushels. “That’s a huge hit to keeping the farm running,” she said. “We barely made a profit, and what we did earn went to fixing the cart we use to haul coffee.” Her experience is common, with many in Los Santos seeing harvests drop by about 20%. For the 35,500 people relying on coffee here, these losses sting, especially after back-to-back tough seasons. Some, like her, are ready to sell their farms if things don’t turn around soon.
Heavy rains are a big culprit, fueling diseases like coffee rust and anthracnose. Wet soils cause young fruit to drop early, and irregular flowering throws off the crop cycle. Farmers now obsess over weather forecasts, trying to adapt to unpredictable rains and rising temperatures that disrupt the delicate balance coffee plants need. A 2023 report noted Costa Rica’s rainfall has spiked since the 1960s, worsening fungal infections and eroding soil on steep hillsides. Los Santos, a highland hub, feels this shift acutely.
It’s not just the weather. Labor shortages, tied to irregular harvests and Nicaragua’s tight border policies, have left fields understaffed. In 2024, fewer than 50 Nicaraguan workers reached Costa Rica, forcing farmers to lean on local or Panamanian Ngäbe-Buglé workers. Low global coffee prices and a strong colón add to the pain, eating into profits. ICAFE reports the number of coffee producers nationwide has plummeted from 47,000 to 25,000 over a decade, yet the industry still supports over 100,000 jobs during the eight-month harvest.
Despite premium prices for Costa Rican coffee in high-value markets, many farmers are just breaking even, reinvesting slim earnings into the next cycle. ICAFE’s pushing solutions like disease-resistant hybrids and apps like CR CAFÉ to warn farmers about pests and weather. But with climate patterns growing erratic, farmers need more—shade trees, better irrigation, and national support—to save Los Santos’ coffee legacy.
