Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world — but the surge in demand is threatening the environment.
Sustainable farming practices are critical in the efforts to support the environment in a positive way. By combining practices such as root bending and selective pruning with natural shade canopies, farmers can grow stronger trees that produce additional crop in subsequent years. The planting of alternative crops, such as banana trees, when grown alongside Arabica coffee, create shade coverage that provide numerous benefits. Tall trees promote biodiversity by creating a healthy plant and animal habitat for birds, bees and small animals. A single coffee plantation is capable of supporting hundreds of species of beneficial plants and animals that in turn support the ecosystem.
Initiatives to boost gender equality in coffee farming often take a wide ranging and varied approach. Some are top-down, working with local governments and cooperatives to provide long-term integration, while others are from the ground up and focus on direct training.
For example, the Asociación de Mujeres Cafeteras del Occidente del Huila teaches women how to actively engage in the decision-making process, as well as providing funds that directly support gender programmes.
Technoserve, on the other hand, is a not-for-profit organisation that works with coffee farmer organisations to integrate gender into the institutional structures of cooperatives.
Sustainability claims are equally complex, despite the tendency to reduce to similar phrases—ethically sourced, fairly priced, environmentally friendly, livelihood supportive, socially responsible, shade grown, directly traded, farmer friendly, etc. But there are nuances behind these narratives, including economic sustainability, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability. Each one is a category onto itself, and few companies equally address all three, let alone the trifecta across all operations.