Vincent de Leijster

155 Synthesis and conclusion 7 Furthermore, I recommend that specialty coffee traders adopt requirements on the maintenance of shade on the coffee plantations they source from, as I have demonstrated in this thesis that shade has beneficial effects on the physical characteristics of coffee beans. Diversifying crops leads to diversification in the vegetation structure on farms and in the income sources of farmers, and this may result in more biodiversity and more resilient livelihoods. However, there are many barriers to adopting crop diversification as a farming strategy since most agricultural production regions and chains are specialized. Therefore, I provide recommendations for multiple stakeholders to make this possible. I recommend that governments are more flexible regarding the registration of crop types per land unit, as this registration can form a barrier to diversification, and I suggest the adjustment of subsidy schemes that require a single crop per land unit. I recommend that traders diversify in the commodities they trade; they can do so by trading in commodities that are produced in regions with similar biophysical conditions, so that the cost of logistics can be minimized. I recommend that breeders breed new varieties that are shade-tolerant, so that agroforestry can be applied in combination with a wider range of crops. Finally, I recommend that farmers experiment with crop combinations and that researchers investigate in greater detail how competition between crops can be avoided.