Climate Change and Coffee Communities in Latin America
Abstract
Coffee production is an essential component of the rural economy and smallholder livelihoods
in countries throughout Latin America. Coffee producers and the global coffee supply
have been threatened by the effects of climate change, such as increases in severe
weather events that cause harvest failures and changes in growing conditions that
decrease volume or quality. We researched climate change adaptation strategies for
both livelihood stability and coffee production sustainability that are feasible for
smallholder producers to implement. Our group conducted a research study for our client
Counter Culture Coffee in partnership with three coffee cooperatives: La Orgánica
in Colombia, Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Desarrollo de Concepción Huista (CODECH)
in Guatemala, and Cenfrocafé in Peru. We used a mixed methods approach and triangulated
our data by applying multiple sources to answer similar questions. We interviewed
cooperative leaders, conducted surveys, held focus groups, and participated in transect
walks. We also interviewed key actors from the government, nonprofit, and private
sectors within each country that play a role in developing the resilience and/or adaptive
capacity of smallholder coffee producers. Our results show how across all three countries,
issues of the roya (coffee leaf rust) epidemic, price volatility, instability in weather
and seasonality, lack of access to credit, and insufficient availability to technical
assistance are challenges to adapting to the impacts of climate change for smallholder
coffee growers. Some of the strategies that smallholder coffee producers can implement
to adapt to climate change are: diversifying income, selecting rust resistant coffee
varieties, converting to shade-grown agroforestry systems, implementing best management
practices, capacity building through community organization and forming cooperatives,
and securing certifications that offer more stable prices. Finally, we developed specific
recommendations for our client and for our three partner cooperatives.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9688Citation
Fox, Claire; Furgiuele, Joanna; Haider, Saira; Ramirez, Martin; & Younis, Mike (2015). Climate Change and Coffee Communities in Latin America. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9688.Collections
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