Coffee In Central America Research Paper

The inoculate Fair Trade coffee beans which satiate consumers ' morning desire for a pick-me-up as well as bettering the lives of the growers begin their journey in the Northern highlands of Sumatra in the Indonesian Island chain. Trader Joe’s Fair Trade Organic Sumatra Coffee beans are grown on the small Indonesian island of Sumatra in the tropical South Pacific. Rather than being produced on large Multinational Corporation owned-and-operated plantation style coffee farms, this global commodity begins its journey from creation to consumption on small, several acre large plots owned, operated, and harvested by small-scale farmers in the

We can understand the relation between commodity and trade development through the study of coffee and it’s origins. Over about 90% of coffee is produced in the South, and consumed in the North. Or a long time Latin America has provided most of the world’s coffee. Coffee comes from a cherry produced by a tree that requires a warm climate without any sudden temperature shifts or frost and it needs plenty of rain. This climate is ideal for coffee between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. During the movement of coffee from harvest to export the first step is to separate the coffee bean from the skin and the pulp of the cherry, this results in what is called “green” coffee. Before it is exported the coffee is cleaned and sorted into lots that have different quality attributes, something like the grain elevators. The lots vary as they go from country to country based on the size, the shape shape and the deficiencies it might have or the way it is processed. At this point in the process the coffee still has it’s individual quality and value.

I watched the video “The Coffee Go-Round” which talks about how the cost of coffee seems to be dropping and as a result this has a negative impact on coffee producing countries. One of the strategies mentioned in the video is to grow different crops, this strategy isn’t so great since many of these farmers don’t have enough money to grow different crops. Another strategy mentioned is to move out of the land and go into the city, this is a good and bad option. It’s a good option since in cities there are more jobs being offered. However, it’s not such a great option because many of these farmers have lived their whole lives on their land, and moving to the city is a drastic change especially if they have a family. Lastly, another option is fair

2. Most successful companies like Starbucks have started programs to oversee and make sure their farmers are treated well. C.A.F.E.( Starbucks ' program) is Coffee and Farmer Equality this program ensures the farmers safety and the quality if the product. This program has shown to boost productivity between the company and the grower and between the workers and the owners of the plantations. Even though this program is in place the workers are still paid poorly. An expert picket can collect about 6-7 baskets of coffee berries a day, yet they are paid very little. 71% of farms in Brazil are less than 10 lectares, 25% of them are less than 50 lectares and 4% are more than 50 lectares.*

One possible way to indirectly prevent coffee rust from spreading to epidemic levels is for the government to provide some support to farmers. Government subsidies for seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides have the potential to help farmers cope with the investment difficulties they currently face (Stone 2014).

The documentary Black Gold, is about the world coffee market and an Ethiopian fair trade cooperative. Ethiopia being the birthplace of coffee is the largest producer of coffee in the world, producing some of the highest quality of coffee beans in the world, like Harar, Yuban and Sidamo types of coffee. The significant problems pointed out in this documentary show what is wrong in the global trading system. Mainly, while most of us continue have our lattes and specialty coffees, the amount paid to the Ethiopian coffee farmers is so low that a lot of them have been forced to chop down some of their coffee fields and rely on other crops to help them survive. The Ethiopian people are malnourished; they have no clean water, no healthcare, and no schools for their families. As quoted in the film, “They are living hand to mouth”.

insights which have been neglected by the later literature of new growth theory and new trade

These factors contributed to economic, social and natural bases degradation of the country (pg 1).” According to authors McDaniel, Byrne and Byrne, Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries where the people make a living by fishing and agriculture. However, “Agriculture plays a significant role in the country’s economy accounting for 21.5% of value added GDP and employs nearly 47% of the country’s population (10). Also not only climate change threatens agriculture, but negatively impacts rural households (11). Many About Nicaragua’s economy, Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) reports that the country is one the “poorest” countries of Central America. Coffee beans are mainly Central America’s backbone of the Central Americans. For Nicaragua, it brings “fifth to a quarter of export revenues.” However due to climate change, it can worse affect coffee growing due to its sensitivity that can cause a heavy economic loss. In order for the country to adapt to this climate change, the government launched a National Adaptation Plan that will help coffee farmers adapt to climate change and to “diversify coffee based incomes. Also, CCAFS reports that the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) provided $24 million to assist the coffee farmers by providing technology to help poor famers adapt, improve, and increase incentives for

For years, across many nations, coffee has assumed many forms and roles. It has been a staple of trade, tradition and religion, a cause of political and social controversy, a source of income and inspiration, a simple pick-me-up and also, a binder of relationships of a wide variety. In Bolivia, coffee plays a prominent and ubiquitous role in its culture, history and function with a presence and control over all of these aforementioned aspects; it may not be the largest supplier of coffee, however, this fact does not in any way mitigate its colossal impact on the country.

The first link in the coffee commodity chain is at the producer, in this case, that's the farmer. Coffee farms have a wide range of sizes varying from five acres to one thousand acres. Smaller operation farmers collectively produce more than half of the supply of global coffee; although in some occasions, large coffee farming operations will supply a nation’s entire coffee output. Much of the coffee industry’s infrastructure (producing, processing, marketing) caters to the needs of larger coffee farmers in a large number of instances. These large operations typically have growing and processing facilities on one property and are owned by one person or small group of people. Many small operation farmers and workers are at the mercy of the

Finally, global economic issues have an immense influence on the world of coffee. Throughout history there has been a pattern that coffee producing countries are economically worse off than those that are consuming the coffee. Pendergrast mentions that “in 1950 the average income in consuming countries was three times that of coffee-growing nations. By the late 1960s it was five times great” (270). With that said, many producing coffee countries were facing endemics and malnourished peoples because workers were receiving absurdly low wages thus placing them into poverty and human suffering (271). Specifically, although 90 percent of El Salvador’s exports consisted of coffee in the 1930s, they agonized from “‘low wages, incredible filth…[under] conditions in fact not far removed from slavery’” (168). Global economic issues of these producing countries lead to dictators easily gaining power such as those in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras (170). Not only was politics a matter that resulted from global economic issues, “the high interest rates from financial institutions and price [squeezes]” lead to the economic struggle of farmers like those from Colombia due to

<br>Costa Rica has a developing market economy largely based on coffee and banana exports. Large gains in economic growth were interrupted in the mid-1970s, when plummeting coffee prices and substantial increases in oil prices resulted in a significant decline in agricultural production. Even so, agriculture accounts for approximately one-fifth of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs more than one-fourth of the work force. Coffee is the single largest export item; other cash crops include bananas, beef, sugar, and cocoa. Staples such as corn, beans, and rice are also widely grown. The government has distributed high-yield varieties of coffee to growers and has provided farmers of other crops with improved seeds. Poor market conditions and bad

With the increase in demand of coffee within coffee drinkers globally, coffee has successfully ensured its place to become the world’s second largest commodity. (cite) Coffea, commonly known as the coffee plant, is the member of the Rubiaceae family (USDA 2015). While there are various species of the coffee plant, Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora are mostly grown. However, between them Coffea Arabica is considered to have greater quality and flavor. Brazil is known as the top manufacturer of coffee followed by countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Colombia, and Ethiopia (USDA 2014). The rising demand for coffee has amplified the dependence of the coffee industry on countries that grows coffee. Using pesticides on coffee fields seemed to be an ultimate solution for farmers who were hoping for maximum productivity of coffee. Pesticides are used in agriculture in order to protect plants from fungal diseases, pests, and insects that affect the growth of food crops. On the short run, using pesticides has an advantage as it increases the production and the quality of coffee. However, pesticide practices have detrimental impact on the environment, the quality and the amount of coffee manufactured, and the health of the farmers in the long run.

Fair Trade Coffee Fair Trade promotes socially and environmentally sustainable techniques and long-term relationships between producers, traders and consumers The world coffee industry is in crisis. A flood of cheap, lower-quality coffee beans have pushed world market prices down to a 30-year low. Many now earn less for their crop than it cost them to grow. Many coffee farmers around the world receive market payments that are lower than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debtWithout urgent action, 25 million coffee growers' face ruin.

The film highlights the fact that coffee is the most valued word commodity, second to oil. The beginning of the film shows the process in which coffee is made- from bean harvesting by workers in Ethiopia who make next to nothing, through several intermediated stages, and into the market. Although we spend countless amounts of money on coffee without thinking twice, the price that coffee farmers who produce this commodity are getting paid, is disgustingly low. Some of them have even been forced to walk away from their fields. There is no better place to see this