The coffee industry is one of the world's most important agricultural sectors, and millions of small farmers and workers depend on it for their livelihoods. However, the industry also faces a number of sustainability challenges, such as deforestation, water scarcity and climate change. Labor exploitation could be the dirty little secret hidden at the bottom of the cup. From the bean to the cup, coffee production is a process that consists of several intermediate stages: cultivation, harvest, packaging, roasting, transport and distribution.
The lack of visibility in this laborious process makes the coffee supply chain vulnerable to unethical labor practices. At the end of the day, coffee producers work in extreme heat for 10 hours and can only earn between 1% and 3% of the retail price. Sustainability has become a buzzword in recent years, but the long-term economic, environmental and social health of the coffee industry is a vital consideration. The reduction of biodiversity and farmers living in poverty are just some of the problems involved.
The challenges in the coffee sector are not limited to organic ones, according to Nawaz. Labor shortages and price fluctuations are also affecting the industry, echoing Ozdurak's assertion that there is a lack of young people entering the industry. Innovative thinking, combined with technological competencies, paints an optimistic picture amid the threats to sustainability that lie ahead in traditional agricultural practices. For example, the Sustainable Coffee Challenge encompasses more than 100 partners who join forces to achieve that coffee production is completely sustainable.
In response to the ecological challenges faced by coffee producers, RA has been implementing regenerative agriculture, “a holistic system that seeks to work in harmony with nature on coffee farms as a solution,” according to Nawaz. The objective of the challenge is for participating organizations to make commitments related to sustainability, with the vision of making coffee a completely sustainable crop. This model of participation from national points of view demonstrates how important government action can be when it comes to addressing sustainability issues in coffee production. According to Nawaz, 25 million coffee farmers and their livelihoods are threatened by climate change, as high temperatures cause low yields and cause coffee shortages. Coffee that is fairly marketed and grown in a sustainable way prevents the overexploitation of natural resources, ensures that there is no slave labor or exploitation of workers, and ensures the survival of a sustainable ecosystem for future generations.
David Laville, a former student at the University of California, is the co-founder of Rogue Wave Coffee Roasters in Edmonton, which sells specialty coffees from countries such as Brazil, Ethiopia, Panama, Kenya and Guatemala. The geographical isolation of many coffee producers can mean prohibitive costs for practical things such as buying tools or transporting the harvest. To address this problem, the Sustainable Coffee Challenge was created “to make coffee the world's first sustainable agricultural product”. International Coffee Day also highlights the need for fair trade practices and focuses on increasing public awareness.
According to Nawaz, while coffee farmers' incomes are currently high, they are temporary. Fluctuating incomes make work unstable, which could be the reason why young people are not getting involved in the coffee sector. Green coffee is the term used to refer to unroasted coffee beans, which are often imported by a green coffee importer. Unfortunately, the path to a perfectly sustainable coffee supply chain remains difficult, despite the palpable level of progress that is being made achieving.
Over the past two years, coffee prices have been very high and excellent for farmers, because there has been a shortage of available coffee around the world.
