Editing Fair trade (section)

==== Sustainability ====
As coffee becomes one of the most important export crops in certain regions such as northern Latin America, nature and agriculture are transformed. Increased productivity requires technological innovations, and the coffee agroecosystem has been changing. In the nineteenth century in Latin America, coffee plantations began replacing sugarcane and subsistence crops. Coffee crops became more managed; they were put into rows and unshaded, meaning diversity of the forest was decreased and [[Coffea]] trees shortened. As plant and tree diversity decreased, so did animal diversity. Unshaded plantations allow a higher density of Coffea trees, are less protected from wind and lead to more soil erosion. Technified{{Clarification needed|date=August 2023}} coffee plantations also use chemicals such as fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides.<ref name="Rice, Robert A 1999" />

Fair trade certified commodities must adhere to sustainable agro-ecological practices, including reduction of chemical fertilizer use, prevention of erosion, and protection of forests. Coffee plantations are more likely to be fair trade certified if they use traditional farming practices with shading and without chemicals. This protects the biodiversity of the ecosystem and ensures that the land will be usable for farming in the future and not just for short-term planting.<ref name="Raynolds, Laura 2000" /> In the United States, 85% of fair trade certified coffee is also organic.<ref name="ReferenceB">DeCarlo, Jacqueline. ''Fair Trade: A Beginner's Guide''. Oxford, England: Oneworld, 2007</ref>