The State Of Sustainable Coffee

Dr. Melissa Vogt considers the influence of Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade in coffee farming communities of Costa Rica from 2009-2019. Sustainability certifications schemes are working amongst a range of sustainability efforts, unique by their intra market location. The intentions of each certification scheme must be clarified prior to evaluation and their influence considered amongst contextually specific historic and contemporary considerations, and alongside the range of sustainability efforts. The advantages and disadvantages, opportunities for improvement and how alternative mechanisms might improve upon or complement sustainability certification schemes are explained. An epilogue considers how prioritisation of coffee as a cash crop may align with sustainability. The influence on biodiversity, community health and income, and the possible implication of reduced coffee crop density for consumers, the market and farming landscapes is considered. How sustainability standards might better encourage more ambitious sustainability in farming landscapes is for future consideration.

The report shows significant growth in sustainability markets. The data is extensive and reliable. It shows how ITC is supporting “good trade” that contributes to environmental and social sustainability for producers and consumers. Each product (bananas, cotton, etc.) also features serious sustainability challenges: child labour, water scarcity, workers’ rights, use of chemicals, etc.. Thus, this report is potentially of interest to journalists. It provides transparency by summarizing those challenges, and by showing which standards initiatives are gaining traction – thus helping to address major societal problems.

This fourth global report provides new insights into the evolution of certified agriculture and forestry. It shows significant growth in sustainability markets. It shows how ITC is supporting “good trade” that contributes to environmental and social sustainability for producers and consumers by teamming up once again with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and the International Institute for Sustainable Development to provide data about 14 major sustainability standards for bananas, cocoa, coffee, cotton, oil palm, soybeans, sugarcane, tea and forestry products. Each product also features serious sustainability challenges: child labour, water scarcity, workers’ rights, use of chemicals, etc. The report provides transparency by summarizing those challenges, and by showing which standards initiatives are gaining traction – thus helping to address major societal problems. It also helps shape decisions of policymakers, producers and businesses, working to address systemic labour and environmental challenges through certified sustainable production.

Fair trade is a fast-growing alternative market intended to bring better prices and greater social justice to small farmers around the world. But what does a fair-trade label signify? This vivid study of coffee farmers in Mexico offers the first thorough investigation of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of fair trade. Based on extensive research in Zapotec indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Brewing Justice follows the members of the cooperative Michiza, whose organic coffee is sold on the international fair-trade market, and compares them to conventional farming families in the same region. The book carries readers into the lives of coffee-producer households and communities, offering a nuanced analysis of fair trade’s effects on everyday life and the limits of its impact. Brewing Justice paints a clear picture of the dynamics of the fair-trade market and its relationship to the global economy. Drawing on interviews with dozens of fair-trade leaders, the book also explores the movement’s fraught politics, especially the challenges posed by rapid growth and the increased role of transnational corporations. It concludes with recommendations to strengthen and protect the integrity of fair trade. This updated edition includes a substantial new chapter that assesses recent developments in both coffee-growing communities and movement politics, offering a guide to navigating the shifting landscape of fair-trade consumption.

Coffee, as a commodity and through its global value chains, is the focus of much interest to achieve fair trade and equitable outcomes for producers, processors and consumers. It has iconic cultural and economic significance for Colombia, which is one of the world's major coffee producers for the global market. This book examines sustainable coffee production in Colombia, specifically the initiatives of Nestlé to create shared value. It describes the transformation of the coffee landscape by the development of economically, socially and environmentally viable and dedicated supply chains. Suppliers have been encouraged to shift production and quality paradigms, in order to develop long-term and sustainable strategies for higher value and premium quality products. This has been partially achieved by establishing a robust partnership with the Coffee Growers Federation and other public, private and social actors, thereby taking control of the institutional architecture and knowledge base that exists in the country. The book provides an important lesson of corporate social responsibility and the creation of shared value for the benefit of farmers, corporations and consumers.

The monograph considers the influence of Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance in 10 Costa Rican coffee farming communities. Misaligned intentions to outcomes, sustainability approaches and variable influence is observed. Opportunity for improvement is explained alongside the consideration of the sustainability of prioritising coffee as a cash crop.

The monograph considers influence over time of Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance in 10 Costa Rican coffee farming communities. In-country perspectives and relevant historic and contemporary literature inform findings. Misaligned intentions to outcomes; different sustainability approaches; and variable influence is observed. There is opportunity to: consider when certifications are most useful; develop locally relevant standards; vertically integrate sourcing chains; consider how complementary mechanisms can be used alongside, or to improve certification approach. Sustainability of coffee as a cash crop, considering influence on biodiversity, and the possible implication of reduced coffee crop density for consumers, the market and farming landscapes, is considered.