Int’l Tea Day to push forward SDGs linked to tea production

The first-ever International Tea Day – which will be marked annually on May 21 under the United Nations Resolution 74/241- is expected to give momentum to ongoing efforts to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) linked to tea production.

Tea production and processing contributes to the reduction of extreme poverty (Goal 1), the fight against hunger (Goal 2), the empowerment of women (Goal 5) and the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems (Goal 15).

Moreover, there is an urgent need to raise public awareness of the importance of tea for rural development and sustainable livelihoods and to improve the tea value chain to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Tea production and processing constitutes a main source of livelihoods for millions of families in developing countries and is the main means of subsistence for millions of poor families, who live in a number of least developed countries.

The tea industry is a main source of income and export revenues for some of the poorest countries and, as a labor-intensive sector, provides jobs, especially in remote and economically disadvantaged areas. Tea can play a significant role in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in developing countries, being one of the most important cash crops.

Tea consumption can bring health benefits and wellness due to the beverage’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and weight loss effects. It also has cultural significance in many societies.

However, efforts should be exerted to contain climate change in  tea producing countries as tea plantation is highly sensitive to changes in temperature and rainfall patterns.

Tea can only be produced in narrowly defined agro-ecological conditions and, hence, in a very limited number of countries, many of which will be heavily impacted by climate change.

Climate change which caused more floods and droughts has already began to affect yields, tea product quality and prices, lowering incomes and threatening rural livelihoods.

These climate changes are expected to intensify, a matter which requires urgent adaptation measures. In parallel, there is a growing recognition of the need to contribute to climate change mitigation, by reducing carbon emissions from tea production and processing.

Therefore, tea-producing countries should integrate climate change challenges, both on the adaptation and mitigation front, into their national tea development strategies.