The Planetary Health Impacts of Different Coffee Farming Systems in Latin America: A Review

In Latin America, coffee is cultivated in distinct coffee agroecosystems (CAS), ranging from traditional agroforestry systems (CAFS) to intensive unshaded monocultures (UCAS). While various socioenvironmental impacts of these systems have been studied, their implications have not yet been integrated within a Planetary Health perspective. This review examines how different CAS in Latin America affect human and planetary health, applying the Planetary Boundaries framework and structuring results through the DPSEEA (Drivers, Pressures, State, Exposure, Effects, Actions) model to map the relationships between socio-environmental drivers, different CAS, natural systems at local and global scales, and human health and well-being. The analysis shows that conventional intensification, driven by low revenues for producers, climate change, and disease outbreaks, has accelerated deforestation, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, agrochemical use and leakage, and water pressures. These changes create health risks for coffee-growing communities, such as pesticide exposure, food insecurity, and increased vulnerability to external shocks. Conversely, agroecological practices can mitigate environmental pressures while reducing exposure to health hazards and improving resilience, food security, and income stability. However, mainstreaming these practices requires addressing structural inequities in the global coffee value chain to ensure fairer revenue distribution, stronger institutional support, and the protection of coffee-growing communities.