GENDER EQUITY

El objetivo del presente artículo es analizar el trabajo en torno a la
producción de café orgánico y de comercio justo desde la perspectiva de las
mujeres, así como conocer los diferentes espacios en que se desarrolla más allá de
lo estrictamente productivo. La información está basada en el trabajo de campo
realizado en Oaxaca, al sur de México con la UCIRI, organización pionera en el
país en el ámbito del comercio justo y la producción ecológica, la cual, como
referente empírico, nos da pistas no solo del trabajo de las mujeres cafetaleras,
sino también de su visibilización y valoración, en contraste con el trabajo de los
hombres.
El análisis está centrado en cómo se traduce esta valoración y visibilización, en la
participación y la toma de decisiones que inciden de manera directa en el rumbo
de la organización.
Algunos de los hallazgos sugieren que hay una relación directa entre la valoración
del trabajo y la intervención en toma de decisiones; por ello reviste relevancia el
análisis del trabajo de las mujeres más allá de los espacios productivos.
Con esto intentaré aportar algunas pistas acerca de lo que ocurre con el trabajo
de las campesinas, y cómo puede ser éste un factor que coadyuve algunas
transformaciones en materia de relaciones de género.

This paper is a review of various coffee certification programs, including third-party certification schemes such as Fair trade, Certified Organic, UTZ, and Rainforest Alliance as well as voluntary sustainability standards. The author’s method of empirical research analysis assesses the impact of certification programs on smallholder coffee farmer’s livelihoods. The motivation is to ensure certification programs improve market equity, encourage sustainability and support social development for farmers. The authors present an initial framework for both conceptualizing and analyzing farmers’ livelihoods after introducing certifications. The results of the study identified that enhancements in livelihoods varied and concluded that there has yet to be a full consensus on the impacts on livelihoods from certification programmes. The authors created various propositions in response to the results of their empirical research. The first proposition is that stronger pre-existing institutions within the producer community are more likely to result in benefits for individual households. The second proposition is that the value chain structures through certification programmes are highly variable and strongly influence livelihood outcomes, and the third proposition is that existing studies rarely present either reliable baseline data or a realistic control group which makes causation very difficult to achieve. The greatest association was that certification does increase farmer training activities which is presumed to result in enhanced human capital, skill development and ultimately improved livelihoods.

This info note from the Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) presents two tools designed to improve the adoption of climate smart agricultural (CSA) practices among coffee farmers. The authors argue that current CSA training packages are not practical for most coffee farmers because they include too many recommendations and are not broken down into achievable steps. To address this, the authors propose their Climate Smart Investment Pathways (CSIPs) tool, which breaks down CSA recommendations into incremental steps, beginning with low-cost approaches and scaling up from there. In addition, the authors present their farmer segmentation tool, which assigns farmers different “types” based on structural and functional indicators. This tool aims to reflect the diversity that exists among coffee farmers, allowing interventions to target specific needs of different groups, rather than apply the same methodology in all scenarios. The researchers demonstrate the application of the CSIP and farmer segmentation tools in a case study of Robusta farmers in Luweero, Uganda—however, they note that neither tool is limited to the context of Uganda or coffee farming. Readers interested in climate adaptive coffee farming strategies, as well as agricultural development, will find this info note helpful.

This study is an exploration of whether and how the relations between women coffee producers and specialty coffee washing station owners in Rwanda facilitate the empowerment of these women. Over the course of three months, primary data was gathered in Rwanda through participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a focus group. What is found from the analysis of this qualitative data is that training, assets, and access act as 'sites of agency' through which empowerment can be facilitated. These sites of agency, though, are not necessarily sufficient for facilitation, in and of themselves. Washing station owners must consider organizing and offering these sites of agency in contextually-specific ways that reflect the unique experiences, needs and wants of women coffee producers.

The ‘4 per mille Soils for Food Security and Climate’ was launched at the COP21 with an aspiration to increase global soil organic matter stocks by 4 per 1000 (or 0.4 %) per year as a compensation for the global emissions of greenhouse gases by anthropogenic sources. This paper surveyed the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock estimates and sequestration potentials from 20 regions in the world (New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, Australia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, India, China Taiwan, South Korea, China Mainland, United States of America, France, Canada, Belgium, England & Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and Russia). We asked whether the 4 per mille initiative is feasible for the region. The outcomes highlight region specific efforts and scopes for soil carbon sequestration. Reported soil C sequestration rates globally show that under best management practices, 4 per mille or even higher sequestration rates can be accomplished. High C sequestration rates (up to 10 per mille) can be achieved for soils with low initial SOC stock (topsoil less than 30 t C ha− 1), and at the first twenty years after implementation of best management practices. In addition, areas which have reached equilibrium will not be able to further increase their sequestration. We found that most studies on SOC sequestration only consider topsoil (up to 0.3 m depth), as it is considered to be most affected by management techniques. The 4 per mille number was based on a blanket calculation of the whole global soil profile C stock, however the potential to increase SOC is mostly on managed agricultural lands. If we consider 4 per mille in the top 1m of global agricultural soils, SOC sequestration is between 2-3 Gt C year− 1, which effectively offset 20–35% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. As a strategy for climate change mitigation, soil carbon sequestration buys time over the next ten to twenty years while other effective sequestration and low carbon technologies become viable. The challenge for cropping farmers is to find disruptive technologies that will further improve soil condition and deliver increased soil carbon. Progress in 4 per mille requires collaboration and communication between scientists, farmers, policy makers, and marketeers.

Based on literature and authors’ experiences, this article reflects on the VSS evolution and considers a sustainability model that specifically incorporates producers’ local realities and deals with the complex scenario of sustainability challenges in producing regions. Agreeing on a joint sustainability approach with farmers’ effective involvement is necessary so that the industry as a whole (up and downstream value chain actors) can legitimately communicate its own sustainability priorities. This top-down/bottom-up approach could also lead to origin-based, actionable and focused sustainability key performance indicators, relevant for producers and consistent with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative also aims to provide a sustainability platform for single origin coffees and Geographical Indications (GIs) in accordance with growers’ own realities and regions, providing the credibility that consumers now expect from sustainability initiatives, additional differentiation options for origin coffees and economic upgrade opportunities for farmers.

The article focuses on shade coffee certification and its implication for the conservation of the forest quality. According to the authors, due to lack of evidence there has been a considerable debate on whether this type of certification may enhance forest degradation by encouraging producers to expand their coffee-growing areas. The study was developed in Ethiopia, comparing remote sensing data collected in 2005 and 2010 in the Beleta-Gera Regional Forest Priority Area. The research was conducted applying different matching methods to examine the different results between coffee areas with and without certification. Results showed that shade coffee certified areas increased their forest density and maintained the forest quality also in the areas surrounding the certified farms. In contrast, the non-certified areas showed a considerable degradation in forest density and quality for both the farms and the forest buffer zones within a 100-meter radius. This article offers interesting insights on the effectiveness of the shade coffee certification connected with forest conservation in terms of density and quality. This research might be of interest for anyone involved in the certifications’ schemes and in the conservation of the Ethiopian coffee-forested areas.

Article on an ongoing research project to quanitfy coffee shop wastes and how shops can become more sustainable overall.

Coffee is grown in more than 60 tropical countries on over 11 million ha by an estimated 25 million farmers, most of whom are smallholders. Several regional studies demonstrate the climate sensitivity of coffee (Coffea arabica) and the likely impact of climate change on coffee suitability, yield, increased pest and disease pressure and farmers’ livelihoods. The objectives of this paper are (i) to quantify the impact of progressive climate change to grow coffee and to produce high quality coffee in Nicaragua and (ii) to develop an adaptation framework across time and space to guide adaptation planning. We used coffee location and cup quality data from Nicaragua in combination with the Maxent and CaNaSTA crop suitability models, the WorldClim historical data and the CMIP3 global circulation models to predict the likely impact of climate change on coffee suitability and quality. We distinguished four different impact scenarios: Very high (coffee disappears), high (large negative changes), medium (little negative changes) and increase (positive changes) in climate suitability. During the Nicaraguan coffee roundtable, most promising adaptation strategies were identified, which we then used to develop a two-dimensional adaptation framework for coffee in time and space. Our analysis indicates that incremental adaptation may occur over short-term horizons at lower altitudes, whereas the same areas may undergo transformative adaptation in the longer term. At higher elevations incremental adaptation may be needed in the long term. The same principle and framework is applicable across coffee growing regions around the world

Although coffee is a high-value commodity and a major contributor to the economies of Kenya and Malawi, many smallholder producers remain poor because of low productivity. CABI scientists will help improve this situation by working with research institutions and assisting them to adopt modern tissue culture-based technologies to rapidly produce lots of seedlings.

This article focuses on the economic potential for coffee farmers in Kiambu County, Kenya to transform coffee wastes (pulp and husks) in biomass and agricultural inputs. Coffee processing is known for its environmental effects when its wastes are not treated properly before being released in the environment and land. The authors have collected evidence by surveying 252 respondents among six coffee factories with the aim of investigating the coffee waste management in the area. Results reported a lack of coffee producers’ awareness of the possibility of transforming pulp and husks in reliable sources of energy and agricultural services. Around 40% of wastes was reported to be directly discarded on land and water bodies, causing high levels of pollution, and only 13% was sold to external uses. The authors also presented interesting example of different producing countries where indeed coffee wastes were successfully transformed in by-products. Additionally, they showed evidence of the economic advantages for farmers to better the waste management for their own coffee production cycle, but also additional household necessities. This article is particularly interesting for different actors involved in coffee production or field-based activities curious to deepen their understanding on alternatives waste management practices.

This chapter reviews various reports relevant to a wide array of sustainability challenges faced by different stakeholders along the coffee production chain. As an example, particular emphasis is laid on India, which is one of the major coffee producing and exporting countries in the world. Coffee cultivation faces different challenges at different stages of production (onfarm production, processing, curing, transportation, shipment) apart from marketing. Pest and disease management, water and nutrient management, labour availability and cost, and other infrastructure facilities, also pose major challenges to produce quality coffee at the farm level. Coffee cultivation helps with the conservation of the ecosystem and plays an important role in many ecological services. The chapter discusses detailed ecosystem services provided by coffee plantations. Government plays an important role as provider of farm credits, subsidies, market intelligence, certification, promotion and by helping coffee farmers to improve their productivity and farm profitability through research and extension services.

Wastewater generated from wet processing of coffee cherries degrades stream water quality downstream of processing mills and impacts human health. The widespread popularity of coffee as an export makes this a global problem, although the immediate impact is local. Approximately 40% of all coffee around the world is wet processed, producing wastewater rich in organic nutrients that can be hazardous to aquatic systems. Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract (MOSE) offers promise as a local and affordable 'appropriate' coagulation technology for aiding in the treatment of coffee wastewater. Field research was conducted at the Kauai Coffee Company to investigate the application of MOSE to treat coffee fermentation wastewater (CFW).

Short case study on Royal Cup's approach to helping a small company experiencing tremendous growth with their office coffee program. Royal Cup details the situation, solution, and results.

This research article presents an analysis of whether there is an opportunity to bring high-biodiversity coffee to the mainstream market. For high-biodiversity coffee the authors take into consideration the affiliation to voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), specifically UTZ and Rainforest Alliance and bring the coffee-producing region of Kodagu in India as a case study. According to the study, a coffee affiliated to a certification system is perceived by international buyers as biodiversity-friendly and unique in terms of flavour profile. However, the study shows a conflict between the Indian coffee production system, which by its historical landscape and culture is grown mostly with very high biodiversity standards and other producing countries. Indeed, international buyers perceive a certified coffee from any producing area as biodiversity-friendly as the Indian coffee and, additionally, use certification as a legitimate sustainability indicator which has no localised difference. Therefore, the authors argue that the mainstream market is shaped by certifications which generalise the specific and unique characteristics of the product and the different levels of biodiversity conservation. This article is particularly interested to researchers looking at the Indian biodiversity scenario and the nexus between VSS with the economics and politics of the mainstream coffee market.