In lush coffee-growing regions of Central America, the recent collapse of world coffee prices is contributing to societal meltdowns affecting millions of people. In former Cold War proxy battlefields such as Nicaragua, the result is hunger and migration. One quick though shortsighted source of cash is to cut the forest for timber, destroying wildlife habitat.

The oversupply of beans driving the crisis won't ease quickly because so many small growers see few alternative crops that are profitable and legal. The answer for a growing number of coffee farmers is selling to the so-called specialty coffee market, which pays a premium for top-quality branded coffee. But this niche market is small—about $100 million a year—and the high-end brands have a hard time winning supermarket shelf space when pitted against powerful marketers such as Procter & Gamble. Here's where informed and concerned consumers can make a difference.

Most simply, INDIVIDUAL COFFEE CHOICE CAN MAKE AN IMPACT. When we buy sustainably grown coffees—those that are shade grown, organic and fairly traded—we encourage the specialty coffee market. If 10% of U.S. coffee drinkers demanded sustainably grown coffees, approximately 135,000 hectares of coffee producing land in northern Latin America could be converted back to the traditional shade-grown/organic method. In addition, farmers of sustainable coffees typically receive a higher price for their crop. With today's international coffee market at an all-time low, this premium paid for sustainable coffees is critical to the farmer's survival, the well being of their families, and the stability of their communities.