How sustainable is your fika? The reality behind, and the future of our beloved coffee and bread

Climate change is reshaping the way we grow and consume some of our most beloved foods. From coffee farms in the tropics to grain fields closer to home, extreme weather, soil degradation, and shifting ecosystems threaten both production and livelihoods. At the same time, these industries contribute to environmental and social challenges, raising urgent questions about sustainability and justice.

Do we need to rethink our fika habits, or how can agricultural systems adapt to ensure a future where coffee and bread remain accessible and sustainable? What innovative solutions exist to transform the way we cultivate these essential crops? And who bears the hidden costs of our daily consumption?

The dirty reality of your coffee cup

An ever-growing coffee-drinking population worldwide, combined with a shrinking supply of coffee beans due to climate change, has led to record high coffee prices. Yet, the ones paying the highest prices is not us here in the West but the small peasantry and workers in the coffee industry as well as the local communities living in coffee-producing regions. 

Sinem Kavak, who are studying the working conditions of migrant workers on Colombian coffee plantations (where 7% of the world's coffee is produced) will share her research findings and offer insights into the path forward to make coffee production more sustainable.

How perennial crops can revolutionize agriculture

There is an urgent need for agriculture to drastically reduce its negative environmental impacts, while at the same time responding to increasing demand and adapting to a changing climate. For this to be possible, radical change in how we grow our major staple crops is essential. 

Elina Andersson and Lennart Olsson are studying the ecological, social and economic aspects of what a shift from annual monocultures to perennial polycultures could imply. In this talk, they’ll share their latest research and explore how this transformation could reduce environmental impact and help us adapt to a changing climate. 

Programme

08.30 Join us for a cup of coffee and bread made of the perennial wheatgrass Kernza®, provided from Bagaren & bonden.

08.45 Presentations by Lund University researchers: Sinem Kavak, Elina Andersson and Lennart Olsson.

09.30 Discussion and Q&A 

Speakers:

Sinem Kavak is a social scientist at the Center for Sustainability Studies at Lund University (LUCSUS).  Her research focuses on agrifood value chains, rural livelihoods, and migrant farm labour.   Sinem is leading a 4 year FORMAS funded research project titled  “Unravelling climate change impacts on migrant farmworkers in agrifood production”. This project examines the cascading impacts of climate change on smallholders and rural workers in coffee and chocolate value chains in Colombia and Turkey.

Elina Andersson is a sustainability researcher at the Center for Sustainability Studies at Lund University (LUCSUS). Her research is broadly situated in the field of political ecology and revolves around agriculture and food systems, rural development, and natural resource use and governance. Elina is part of an interdisciplinary research project on perennial crops and their potential to contribute to increase the sustainability and resilience of agriculture.

Lennart Olsson is Professor of Geography at the Center for Sustainability Studies at Lund University (LUCSUS). Lennart Olsson is leading the ERC funded projectPERENNIAL, which investigates whether a shift from annual to perennial grain crops as the basis for food production is possible, and identify the major opportunities and obstacles for such a “perennial revolution”. 

The event is part of Sustainability Week 2025, which runs between 5-10 May. Sustainability week is an annual event in Lund organised as a joint venture by Lund University and Lund municipality. The week serves as a platform for bringing together ideas, cross-disciplinary collaborations, raising public awareness and for inspiring sustainable change.

Read more about Sustainability Week