Culture and Coffee: Mediums For a Peaceful Relationship Between Coffee Plantations and Wildlife in Coorg, IndiaLaura Emmerson

Introduction

Coorg1, a district that lies in the southern part of the South Indian state of

Karnataka, holds a unique culture and landscape that flourishes with coffee plantations.

These plantations hold rows upon rows of the plant composed of small bushels of waxy,

thick, and green leafs. When looking out upon the Coorg landscape, one sees dark green

thick hills, which is mostly due to these seemingly endless coffee plantations. When I

was in the first stages of creating the proposal for this research, I was unclear of my

intentions and had no clue it would lead to this lush forested land. All I knew was that I

wanted to study a culture to create ideas for preserving the natural landscape and wildlife

of an area in the Western Ghats.

Originally I was hoping to do a study in Kerala; the state is known for its amazing

wildlife and it’s someplace that I have yet to visit. Doing a study there would have been a

great opportunity to learn about someplace new. When Dr. Rao2 suggested Coorg, I was

hesitant at the start. Coorg is the next district over from Mysore, only 120 km away. My

original hesitancies lied within the fact that it was so close to Mysore, but my doubts

were soon cleared when researching the district. The Coorg district is one that is unlike

any other in the state, even in the whole nation of India. It is well known to those who

have experienced India that virtually every region differs from another, whether it be

language, food, dress etc., but Coorg is a special case. Culturally it has many differences

from even the surrounding Southern districts and states. I had come to find with living in

1 Also referred to as Kodagu2 Director of Vivekananda Institute of Indian Studies

Coorg for almost a month that even comparing Northern Coorg to Southern Coorg, one

could find much cultural diversity. The main question to be asked is how did such a small

district of Karnataka come to be so distinct from the rest of Southern India? The answer

lies within a source that is powerful and omnipresent: the environment. Throughout the

world, one’s environment constantly influences culture and the daily lives of people.

With research and simply living in Coorg, the presence of environment is an extreme

influencing factor of how this unique culture has come to be.

In this study, my original goal was to learn about agriculture, especially coffee,

and its effects on wildlife in Coorg and how understanding the culture would contribute

to preservation. To begin to accomplish this goal, I figured that exploring attitudes

towards one’s environment in Coorg could be a way in understanding a farmer’s

relationship with his/her land. Only being here for a few weeks, this task was a daunting

one, finding that discovering human effects on wildlife would be an intensive scientific

study in which I did not have the full skills, access, funds, or time for. So my study was

transformed into a cultural study, exploring the people of Coorg’s relationship with their

environment, focusing in part on coffee planters. With site visits to a couple coffee

estates and nature hotspots around Coorg, I was able to get a handle on where my study

was to be directed. Talking with/interviewing people made the research that much more

relevant.

There are two major parts to this paper: the culture of Coorg and case studies of

coffee planters’ role regarding effects on the environment. Having a comprehensive

handle on some cultural aspects such as weddings and festivals provides an avenue to

explore the ways that Coorgs3 express themselves and identify as a people. Since coffee

3 A name for the people of the region

is also a major cultural aspect of Coorg culture, exploring it has helped me to view my

studies from the eyes of a member of Coorg society. My final goal was to use the results

from article readings, interviews, and field visits to create a window from which to

unravel potential compromises between coffee planters and the wildlife that depend on

the land in which coffee plantations cover.

Geography

The Coorg region can be found on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. It

occupies 4,102 km2 (india.gov.in. N.p., 2010), with bordering districts of Mysore,

Hassan, and Kerala. There are many hills in the region, the highest peak being 1,750

meters. The district is

known for its agriculture

including coffee,

cardamom, and pepper.

The major river that flows

through the district is the

Cauvery (or Kaveri) which

people hold in high spiritual

regard, as it provides waters

for a good harvest.

Figure 1:Agricultural Landscape as of the District of Kodagu as of 20074

Part One: Festivals and Celebrations

Huttari Festival

4 Figure 1: (Garcia, Claude, Shonil A. Bhagwat, et al. 2009)

Something special about Coorg are its festivals. One of the most important, if not

the most is the Huttari Festival, or the harvest. It falls in between late November and

early December, the date depending on the full moon and a particular star. This time

period is special because it marks the traditional date when the first rice of the year was

to be harvested. Rice is significant in South India, especially Coorg because it used to be

the dominant crop, and still is the staple of virtually every Coorg dish. Even though it’s

losing to coffee production because of major labor costs, it can be seen in Figure 1 that

rice still takes up significant space and is widely spread through out Kodagu. Huttari is a

festival that calls upon Laxmi, the goddess of wealth to bless the families of Coorg with a

good harvest. This practice can be traced back to rice being the basis of the economy,

before coffee was more prevalent.

The festival is a big family event; the first thing the family does is go out into

their rice field and cut the first grains of the season. After going to the fields, the family

goes to their ancestral house or Ain. It’s important to incorporate ancestors into festivals,

in fact, one interview mentioned that in Coorg, when is comes to “ancestral worship,

gods came later” (Muthanna, 2011).

Although many of the foundations of the festival are no longer in practice, for

example, because of new agricultural technologies that provide faster growth of paddy, it

is no longer necessary to wait until January to harvest rice. Also, Coorg is less

economically dependent on rice since the spread of coffee plantations. Originally, the

Huttari festival was more important because winter marked the end of going without rice.

Knowing that rice is steadily available to people year round, I asked the interviewees if

they believed this fact has taken away the importance in the festival. Replies indicated

that the festival is important to them because the tradition and ancestors involved are

significant in their culture. Nisha, my host mother replied that “we all can join together in

the mand, we can meet others, our minds will be relieved talking with each other, we can

dance enjoy. Children will also be happy meeting their friends,” (Kotramada, 2011).

Socially, tradition is carried on, and even though rice isn’t being produced the way it was,

it still signifies tradition and wealth: “paddy is nothing but wealth for us, so god has come

to our house [to bless us],” (Kotramada, 2011).

Cauvery Festival

Another important natural occurrence in Coorg is the Cauvery River. It brings

water from its starting point all the way to the Bay of Bengal, it is regarded as scared to

Hindus, considered the Ganga of the South. The people of Coorg celebrate the Cauvery

Festival in which people gather at the starting point of the river, Talacauvery, on the

auspicious day in mid-October when the water bubbles up to the surface in the sacred

tank. This day of celebration is important as it, “is the day they say Cauvery visits the

Earth and gives up the seeds to the people of Coorg who worship her” (Muthanna 2011).

For these celebrations all water sources are included in the pooja, not only the river. It is

important to perform pooja and give food offerings such as banana leaf covered with

dosa, pumpkin curry, honey, and ghee and others so there will be assurance that Goddess

Cauvery will bless Coorg with a bountiful rice harvest, similar to the Huttari festival.

When I asked Uday if he believed the Cauvery festival is important his reply was, “I do

feel the festival is very important for us because it’s been passed on from the ancients…

our forefathers have done it and Coorg has always been a country which has never seen

much difficulty, let it be …any floods or any native problem or major incidents. Nothing

has happened and that’s because we feel it is Goddess Cauvery’s blessing,” (Muthanna

2011). These traditions are deep-set within Coorg and through interviews of Coorg

people and living here, it has become evident just how important water and land is to

their culture, economy, and lifestyle.

Weddings

Another example of the environmental significance of this region can be seen in a

traditional Coorg wedding. During my short stay, I was lucky enough to attend one and

found that aspects of both the Huttari and Cauvery festivals can be seen in a wedding

ceremony. In the reception the close family members of the bridegroom surrounded him

and threw rice at him. The husband proceeded to touch the elders’ feet as a sign of

respect. Afterwards the family of the bride performed much of the same thing with slight

variation. When looking from an anthropological viewpoint, there can be meaning found

in every aspect of the wedding.

The actual wedding ceremony took place on the next day from ten in the morning

to about ten at night, an all day event. The main events of the day were the meeting the

bride and groom, blessing them, and the Ganga Pooja. All of the people that attend the

wedding lined up to bless the bride and groom and give them presents or money for the

start their life together. There were hundreds of people in attendance so this event took a

few hours. Before giving the gifts the guests through rice at the bride or groom. The

Ganga Pooja consisted of the bride and a couple of the women relatives. The bride had to

walk very slowly from one side of a room to another with water on top of her head while

people danced around her. The dancing and walking lasted two and half hours.

Sometimes it can last even longer, for example, Nisha had to perform this for five hours

at her wedding! The people dancing represent them trying to “stop” her from reaching her

destination. The water acts as a test for the bride to show her dedication to the marriage

(more or less), representing the diligence and dedication of the river. It seems to be more

of a practice of tradition these days, but still a vital part of every Coorg wedding.

A common theme found in these festivals and celebrations is the attachment to

nature that is found among the Coorg traditions. Like in the festivals and weddings,

harvest and holy water are very integral parts of daily life. Coorg lifestyle includes living

near or in forests all of their lives, which acts as a guide toward the way that the coffee

plantations are run. Almost everything becomes linked back to the environment, making

the analysis of coffee plantations that much more important. During the month that I

conducted research in Coorg, I was able find deep instilled traditional connections to the

environment, passed down through generations. There has been loss of interest in such

cultural traditions in the newer generations, but true practice can be seen in the family

farms of Coorg.

Understanding cultural connections through coffee plantations may bring to the

stage a way to view the planting methods and how they affect the land, in turn creating

strategies to work with farmers to ensure that sustainable methods are upheld. My

findings are meant to unravel a bit of the coffee influence on culture, lifestyles, and the

land of Coorg.

Part Two: Coffee Plantations

Coffee culture

Along with the festivals and marriages, coffee is something passed on through

family. The three planters that I interviewed during my weeks of research were all

middle-aged men who had picked up coffee farming from their fathers or community

members, which tends to be commonplace in Coorg. Coffee estates often have a man’s

last name and sometimes mentions his son, for example the estate near my temporary

home was titled “Kotramada and son”. Although larger corporate farms do exist, the

majority percentage of acres for coffee plantations are family-owned estates, which are

main contributors to the identity of Coorg on a broad scale. Many people grow up either

on plantation or are constantly surrounded by it their whole life. The growing of coffee in

Coorg “is one of the major drivers of the regional economy, the landscape, and even the

cultural identity of the district,” (Garcia, Claude, Shonil A. Bhagwat, et al. 2009) for

example, whenever I visited a person’s home I was offered a cup of coffee and my host

mother, Nisha, served coffee harvested from her estate at least twice a day. Through my

experience living and researching in this region, I found that Coorgs are very prideful in

traditional practices and because plantations make up much of the landscape, analyzing

the coffee farming practices and culture will be beneficial to understanding the area’s

environment.

In 2009 it was documented that when it comes to coffee production, “one-third

comes from the district of Kodagu in the state of Karnataka,” and “coffee plantations

occupy 33% of the district,” (Garcia, Claude, Shonil A. Bhagwat, et al. 2009) making

coffee a major contributor to the condition of the environment and extremely important to

the people that live there. So I set out to find what the benefits and issues were when it

came to coffee planting in this district.

Biodiversity

From interviews and exploring the coffee plantations I learned that coffee is one

of the most sustainable planting out there because Indian shade-grown coffee

incorporates forest cover into its design. Among the forest cover, plantations offer fairly

rich biodiversity, which attracts many wildlife birds. Instead of endless fields of

monoculture, these farms offer more crops. Not only does the farmer gain more of a

profit from this, the agriculture provides a better niche for wildlife. Crops such as “pepper

(Piper nigrum), citrus (Citrus spp.), areca nut (Areca catechu) and vanilla (Vanilla spp.),”

(Anand, Krishnaswamy, Kumar, and Bali 2010) can be found. During my visits I also

found Coorg oranges and cardamom, which could easily be seen growing among the

coffee plants. Cardamom, which is entirely shade grown is also beneficial to the

environment, said to be one of the most sustainable because less forest cover needs to be

cleared.

Environmental Issues

Although there is much support for the sustainability of coffee plantations, recent

trends have shown that increased mechanization and economic incentives push for

potentially harmful methods:

The shift from Arabica (Coffea arabica) to Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora var robusta), motivated by the easier management, better pest resistance of Robusta varieties (Raghuramulu 2006), and the massive development of irrigation systems, has reduced the need for dense shade cover. Increasing use of chemical fertilizers, as in Mesoamerica (Perfecto et al. 1996), has replaced earlier use of green or organic manure,” (Garcia, Claude, Shonil A. Bhagwat, et al. 2009)

The desire for convenience is shifting the way coffee is grown and will continue to

change with the endorsement of pesticides over organic methods.

When asked, the three farmers interviewed during my stay mentioned that they

do not use pesticides, but do use chemical fertilizers. A couple of the farmers interviewed

mentioned that organic farming is preferable, but with the profit demand chemical

fertilizers help produce far more plants in less amount of time.

Non-native trees

Another potential environmental issue that is increasingly taking hold is the use of

non-native shade trees within the plantations. Like using the chemical fertilizers, these

trees can hold an economic gain over non-native trees. One example used is Silver oak,

which is prevalent on numerous farms in Coorg for a few reasons: they “1. Grow fast, 2.

Provide a good stand for pepper, 3. Have easily available seeds and seedlings, 4. Easy to

fell, transport and sell,” (French Institute of Pondicherry 2008) and according to Uday,

farmers do not need permission from the forest department to fell these trees, unlike their

native tree species counterparts. In turn, the silver oak and other non-native species can

be turned into plywood.

These trees are good for money in the farmer’s wallets, but “instead of

contributing to the soil fertility they degrade the soil and also remove water from the

ground water table,” (Bopanna 2011). Also, they are not as supportive to other wildlife

species because the trees are foreign to the Coorg forest ecosystems.

Human elephant conflict

Speaking of wildlife, the human and elephant conflict is a major issue that leads

to tensions among coffee planters and elephants. On the one hand, the biodiversity of the

crops and other plants found in the plantations attracts the elephants to the farms, a good

sign that there are productive, healthy relationships between coffee farms and wildlife.

On the other hand, the elephants are entering into the plantations and destroying crops,

costing the planters money. Reasons behind elephant infiltration can be attributed to

“human demographic pressure, expansion of cash crops in previously forested areas and

the subsequent overlap of habitats,” (Bal, Nath, Nanaya, Kushalappa, and Garcia 2011)

leading the elephants away from the ranges they lived in previously. Some of the planters

that I talked to mentioned that when they make complaints to the forest department, they

receive money compensation, but the problem still continues. Solutions are being

conducted too slowly in order to calm the problems between the elephants and human

farmers. Other protected wildlife often forage and travel through the plantations, but the

elephants tends to make the biggest mark on the land.

Discussion/Potential Solutions

What I have come to find is that because of its importance in the economy and

social influence, coffee plantations will continue to be prevalent in the region of Coorg.

Even with its negative environmental impacts, there are many benefits and potential

positive symbiosis- relationships within coffee and Coorg wildlife. Farming is something

that is a cultural tradition in Coorg, but since this coffee is grown in one of the world’s

most important biodiversity hot spots, wildlife should be given special attention. It is

especially important then to create a compromise with the coffee plantations and wildlife

of the region. Below are some ideas and means to solving some of the leading causes of

the disturbances between farmers and forest life.

Motivation for Coffee Planters

From all the article references drawn together for this research, all of them

mentioned a need for involvement of community members in promoting sustainable

practices for the preservation of the forests. In the case of Coorg, coffee plantations have

become a large cultural and economic staple in the region, so a way to perform

communication participation is considering “farmers as stakeholders in conserving

biodiversity and actively solicit them as partners,” (Garcia, Claude, Shonil A. Bhagwat,

et al. 2009) meaning that the farmer’s concerns need to be heard if change is to be had.

Economic Incentives

One of the problems stopping this sustainability is economic incentive, where

motivations like “a healthy environment” are not enough to influence most planters to use

sustainable farming methods. Conflicts brought up earlier in this paper include the use of

chemical fertilizers, non-native tree species, and the human/elephant conflict, all of which

are of concern for the health of wildlife and the Coorg farmer’s crop production. All of

these concerns can find their emergence linked back to the profit of the planter. If the

farmer is going to accommodate the conditions of the environment into his/her farming

methods, the government and other organizations involved with coffee production need

to find major ways to provide economic incentives to protect wildlife. Because coffee

plays such a large role in the district, it should be one of the top priorities for these

stakeholders.

The Forest Department could provide economic incentives such as “carbon

credit” for planting native trees. Organizations such as the Karnataka Growers’

Federation, Coorg Wildlife Society, and the Rain Forest Alliance should work with the

farmers more to help make farming methods more sustainable. Having focused my

project around the culture of Coorg, below are methods in which these cultural studies

may be beneficial to all of the stakeholders involved in the management of a healthy

forest ecosystem.

Coorg Pride

A way that all of the stakeholders can view this issue is to keep traditional

foresting methods as a top priority. Coorgs are a unique people that are very prideful of

their land and culture, so going back to the basics could do some good for the

environment and preserving Coorg heritage. Part of the solution could be to promote

traditional ways of planting (for example, stop the usage of chemical fertilizers) and

advertise this as the “Coorg Way”. From my research through observing daily life and

special celebrations I found that Coorgs draw much inspiration from their ancestors,

whose traditions are rooted in nature, such as the harvest and river festivals. The

government could support these projects and provide help to the coffee planters, which

might be in their best interest considering how much money coffee brings to the region.

Also, if the planters still need economic incentives, “possible solutions include promotion

of sustainable products such as timber and nontimber forest and agroforest products (e.g.,

pepper, cardamom, Coorg orange, and honey)” (Garcia, Claude, Shonil A. Bhagwat, et al.

2009), which are already found in many of the coffee plantations. Knowing how much

value Coorg puts on its coffee farms, in time it will become clear that when biodiversity

is preserved, it will help keep the land fruitful. Simply allowing several plants on

plantations and lessening chemical fertilizers can be a start this preservation.

While in Coorg I was able to witness some of the events and meet some of the

“partners” that are involved in the sustainability of coffee plantations. Currently a man

named Krishnamurthy Pushpanath is generating buzz within the region through an event

called the “Walk for Climate Justice”. The walk is trying to attract attention towards the

global climate issues and is calling upon the help of coffee farmers because, “India is the

only country that grows all of its coffee under shade” (Karnataka Growers' Federation

2011) and their biodiverse farms can support wildlife and other natural systems. Because

of the large proportion of coffee farmers in the region, promoting sustainability in these

plantations can lead towards a healthier Western Ghats forest. Based on conclusions

reached through analyzing literature and interviews, I believe that events like the climate

walk, which reaches out to the community of coffee planters can lead farming methods to

more sustainable means (if done properly).

Conclusions

This month-long internship has allowed me to learn about a unique culture that

happens to lie in one of the richest forest ranges in the world. Having the opportunity to

talk with people, even though my time and resources were limited, I have discovered

interesting cultural aspects of a whole region of people that take pride in their traditions,

ancestors, and environment.

My main setback was the Kannada/English language barrier that got in the way

especially when it came time for interviews with coffee planters. I was unable to have a

consistent translator, but was able to talk to some people efficiently. When it came time

to talking with people on the phone, even if they spoke in English it was often difficult to

understand him/her. Despite the setbacks, people were very kind and tried to help with

my project the best that they could. After all, Coorg is known for hospitality, which at

times is almost too helpful.

Honestly, there isn’t enough written work easily available online or in print about

the region, so the project was based off of the few written sources that I could find and

the first-hand experiences. Being in the region that I was studying made a big difference

when it came to creating a project and learning about coffee and Coorg as a whole.

Physically being in Coorg put the information gathered into perspective. Talking to

people, viewing the plantations, and experiencing day-to-day life in Coorg gave me

distinctive results that I never could have received from a textbook or an article. Also,

living with a Coorg family made a difference, as it allowed for an insiders view of a

coffee estate owner’s home.

Through all of this work I was able to partially accomplish my goal of using the

every-day life examples of Coorgs and coffee culture to discover some issues among

plantations, and using what I learned to find ways in which the coffee can peacefully

coincide with forests of Coorg and everything they have to offer. Sustainability in this

region is a major topic that has been explored by others, but I believe that every

contribution to the mater counts and more studies should be done.

Lastly, one of the major things learned during this research is that culture plays a

large role in altering natural ecosystems of Coorg and vise-versa. With my project only

being one month, I merely skimmed the surface of all of the research that could be done,

but it feels like some sort of conclusion can be made. Coorg will truly be missed and I am

grateful for this opportunity to learn about such a special region of Karnataka.

Work Cited

Anand, M.O., Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Ajith Kumar, and Archana Bali. "Sustaining biodiversity conservation in human-modified landscapes in the Western Ghats: Remnant forests matter." Elsevier Ltd., Biological Conservation. 143. (2010): 2363–2374. Print.

Bal, P., C. D. Nath, K. M. Nanaya, C. G. Kushalappa, and C. Garcia. "Elephants Also Like Coffee: Trends and Drivers of Human–Elephant Conflicts in Coffee Agroforestry Landscapes of Kodagu, Western Ghats,India." Environmental Management. 48.2 (2011): 263. Print.

Bopanna, P.T. The Romance of Indian Coffee. Bangalore: Prism Books Pvt. Ltd., 2011. 96. Print.

Coffee and Environmental Services in the Western Ghats." French Institute of Pondicherry. 21 May 2008. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ifpindia.org/Coffee-and- Environmental-Services-in-the-Western-Ghats.html>.

Garcia, Claude, Shonil A. Bhagwat, et al. "Biodiversity Conservation in Agricultural Landscapes: Challenges and Opportunities of Coffee Agroforests in the Western Ghats, India." Conservation Biology. 224.2 (2009): 479-488. Print.

“Indian Coffee” Karnataka Growers' Federation 2011. Web. 9 Dec 2011. <http://kgf.org.in/indian_coffee.html>.

"Karnataka." india.gov.in. N.p., 2010. Web. 11 Dec 2011. <http://india.gov.in/knowindia/districts/andhra1.php?stateid=KA>.

Kotramada, Nisha. Personal Interview. 29 December 2011.

Muthanna, Uday. Personal Interview. 29 November 2011