Despite the increase in area under coffee in Kenya in the last decade, productivity has been on the decline. Numerous production technologies have been developed through on-station research but there has been limited on-farm research to assess the impact of these technologies at the farm level. On the other hand, smallholder farmers are endowed differently and this would positively or negatively affect the adoption of recommended technologies and hence coffee productivity. This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of socioeconomic factors and technology adoption on smallholder coffee productivity at the farm level. The study employed stratified random sampling where 376 farmers were randomly sampled from six cooperative societies which had been preselected using probability proportional to the size sampling technique. The effects of socioeconomic factors and technology adoption on coffee productivity were analyzed using the stochastic Cobb-Douglas production function. The study revealed that off-farm income, access to credit, type of land tenure, and land size had significant positive effects on coffee productivity. Therefore, coffee farmers should be encouraged to diversify their income sources and to embrace credit financing, as the government reviews land use policies to avail adequate agricultural land. The study further revealed that the adoption of recommended application rates of manure, fungicides, and pesticides had significant positive effects on coffee productivity. The adoption of these technologies should therefore be enhanced among small-scale farmers to improve coffee productivity at the farm level.

This paper discusses the global transition to sustainable and wildlife-friendly farming systems that protect ecosystem services while also providing economic equity in Java, Indonesia. Java is home to 60% of Indonesia’s population as well as many endemic species, and therefore the management of agriculture alongside human well-being and biodiversity is vital. The authors look at a community of 400 coffee farmers in West Java to assess the steps needed to develop a community-wide, wildlife-friendly program. An adaptive management approach through consultations and co-learning with stakeholder, researchers, and policy makers, was used to create a framework with common objectives. The expectations of the program were to see an increase in income and an increase in coffee quality, but that there would also be implementation challenges. The quality of the coffee plantations were assessed before and after the implementation of program, finding that coffee quality was significantly improved through efforts that converted farms to organic. The benefit of this method is that wildlife-friendly farming areas contain much higher biodiversity than intensive farming areas. However, not as biodiverse as natural ecosystems. Further success will depend on farmers keeping constant involvement in their understanding of long-term sustainability or at least until farmer are able to receive a premium price for their coffee.

Este estudio realiza una discusión sobre el desempeño de las certificaciones e iniciativas de sostenibilidad en la producción de café en algunos municipios del departamento de Caldas, Colombia, desde el enfoque de auditoría ambiental a favor de la producción agrícola, mediante prácticas organizacionales que impactan las condiciones económicas, sociales y ambientales de las unidades productivas. Para esto se presenta un Índice Sintético de Sostenibilidad estimado para 49 fincas, un panorama de las certificaciones de calidad y los códigos de conducta que se han implementado en la región, revisando los criterios de calidad en la producción, la comercialización, el desempeño ambiental, la organización productiva y las condiciones sociales. Se concluye que la auditoría ambiental puede ser un camino para reducir desequilibrios en la explotación agrícola, en la que el paradigma económico se iguala a los desafíos sociales y al cuidado de los ecosistemas como una forma de asegurar la sustentabilidad de los recursos, reducir la pobreza, mejorar la competitividad y en general las condiciones de vida del sector rural.

This info note from the study conducted by Coffee Board of India. This study examines the interdependence of futures and spot markets for coffee in the price discovery mechanism, particularly in the Indian context. The study confirms the existence of a stable long-run relationship between ICE coffee futures and ICO spot prices, implying that both prices react to the same set of market information. While there is an indication of equilibrium or long-run relationship between ICE Coffee futures (New York) and Arabica producer prices (at farm gate level) in India, the same was not true for Robusta coffee. The absence of co-integration between ICE futures prices (London) and Robusta producer prices in India suggested only a short-run relationship between them. The findings of the study conclude with strong evidence that the farm gate prices in India have been caused by the ICE futures markets, declining the contrary.

The study aimed to identify the factors affecting the productivity of coffee in Gulmi and Arghakhanchi districts of Nepal. The authors collected data from 118 coffee farmers through a questionnaire survey and used regression analysis to identify the significant factors affecting coffee productivity.
The study found that altitude, pruning, fertilizer application, and training were the significant factors affecting coffee productivity in the study area. Specifically, the study found that coffee farms located at higher altitudes had higher productivity compared to those at lower altitudes. Additionally, regular pruning, proper fertilizer application, and training on coffee production practices were positively associated with coffee productivity.
The study also found that coffee farmers faced several challenges in the region, including low market prices, lack of access to finance, and limited technical knowledge. The authors suggest that targeted training and support programs for coffee farmers, along with policies to address market-related challenges, could help to increase coffee productivity and improve the livelihoods of coffee farmers in the region.
Overall, the study provides insights into the factors affecting coffee productivity in Gulmi and Arghakhanchi districts of Nepal, and highlights the need for targeted interventions to improve coffee production practices and address the challenges faced by coffee farmers in the region.

Coffee crops are susceptible to climate change. Coffee agribusiness is demanded to respond to the
increasing need for Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA). As a CSA model, coffee cattle integration offers
farmers risk management strategies and options to adapt to climate change. Issues about GAP, soil
management, water management, and ecological objectives can be addressed well in Integrated Crop
Livestock Systems. Constraints in adopting coffee cattle integration as CSA practices are related to
production input, labor, knowledge, technology, capital, and farmer institution. Strategies for
implementing coffee cattle integration as a CSA practice is carried out in a hierarchical stage. It starts
with developing a support system to improve agricultural support policies, promote public-private
partnerships, and support community assistance and facilitation center, followed by the increasing
availability of capital through credit farm.

This paper addresses the issue of unfair trade practices, investigating the drivers of the differences between farm-gate and free-on-board (FOB) prices in the most important Arabica coffee producing countries worldwide: Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, Peru, and Ethiopia. Our study looks at those differences taking into account the literature on governance in agri-food chains, with a focus on each country’s domestic market. We performed panel-corrected standard error (PCSE) estimates in ICO and World Bank data, covering the period from 2007 to 2016. In the paper we analyze (i) property rights as a proxy of transaction costs, once it brings more transparency and support to negotiations; (ii) access to electricity as a proxy of supporting infrastructure in communication and information activities, and (iii) quality of roads and quality of ports as proxies of transportation infrastructure. Our results show that heterogeneity in institutions and infrastructure are key in explaining the differences between farm-gate and FOB prices. The transaction costs derived from institutional failures and infrastructure gaps, lead to the use of intermediaries in the coffee supply chain, and this reduces the margin for coffee farmers. Actions that aim to reduce these inefficiencies bring more transparency and lower transaction costs, thereby directly contributing to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Carbon neutral labeling of food products is a market-based approach to reduce carbon footprints in the agri-food sector. To better understand consumers’ preferences and attitudes towards a carbon neutral label on globally traded agri-food products, the willingness to pay (WTP) of German consumers for a carbon neutral label on specialty coffee was examined. A discrete choice experiment was conducted in Germany, where coffee is often sold with multiple labels or claims, in order to examine the WTP for alternative combinations of a carbon neutral label with either a Fair Trade label or a claim of direct trade coffee sourcing. Choice data were analyzed using random parameter logit models which determined a positive WTP for the carbon neutral label. This estimate exceeds the corresponding marginal costs of certification and the marginal social cost of carbon, yet it is relatively lower than the estimated WTP for the Fair Trade label and the direct trade claim. A positive synergy effect on utility was also determined for the combination of a carbon neutral label and a direct trade claim. If no additional information was provided, consumers often perceived coffee as a “natural product” that does not generate any greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, awareness-building policies are needed to make carbon neutral labels an effective market-based tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the agri-food sector.

The specialty coffee industry is growing and, as a result, there is an accelerated interest in modulating roast profiles to present customers with new and diverse sensory experiences. The present study investigates the chemical and sensory effects of subtle variations in the ‘development time’ phase of the coffee roasting process. Four roast profiles were studied through sensory descriptive analysis (DA), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Multivariate analysis showed clear separation of DA, GC–MS, and NMR data. A prolonged development time facilitated a statistically significant shift in the chemical and sensory profile of the coffee. The findings suggest that a short development time increases the fruity, sweet and acidic characteristics of the coffee, whereas a longer development time shifts the balance towards a more roasty, nutty, and bitter profile. The results provide evidence that supports the effect of subtle roast profile modulations. This lays a strong foundation for the inclusion of development time as a critical control parameter in the certification system of the Specialty Coffee Association, quality control, and product development strategies.

En el presente trabajo se muestra el rol tradicional de las mujeres cafeteras en la región del Tequendama, específicamente en el municipio de Anolaima – La Mesa Cundinamarca, destacando sus habilidades ante los cultivos de café y cumpliendo así con todos procesos que son exigidos y llevados a cabo para comercializar su producto hacia el exterior de una manera eficiente. Inicialmente se realizó un estudio sobre la población de cada municipio dando a conocer las características, sectores económicos y ambientales para así tener conocimiento de su estructura al momento del cultivo del café y qué tan importante es desde su origen; mostrando la importancia de la mujer cafetera en los procesos productivos y en el producto final. Por otro lado, se dio a conocer las técnicas de cultivo de cafés especiales en la región del Tequendama tanto para la obtención de café tostado y verde describiendo los procesos y las condiciones óptimas que se deben llevar a cabo en un proceso de producción eficiente para garantizar un producto de alta calidad; dando la importancia que tiene la mujer en este sector dando a conocer las buenas prácticas y la planeación que se debe hacer desde su cultivo hasta su proceso de prueba de taza. Por último, se da a conocer la estructura del Modelo de negocio para la exportación de cafés especiales en pequeñas cantidades, basándonos en teorías de internacionalización y costes de la transacción que determinó la especificación de las alianzas de distribución y venta, basándonos en las normas establecidas por los entes regulatorios autorizados como lo son la Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia, Centro Nacional de Investigación de Café - Cenicafe, y el Ministerio de Industria Comercio y Turismo, aplicando el modelo Canvas como modelo de exportación

Uganda, like other sub Saharan African countries, continues to experience increasing levels of youth unemployment in view of its rapid population growth in recent decades. Such a trend exerts mounting pressures on the overall capacity of the national economy to generate adequate numbers of decent jobs to absorb the working age population. The country depends on agriculture as a source of livelihood and foreign exchange earnings. The country’s 2015/16 - 2019/20 Agriculture Sector Strategic Plan identified coffee as one of the 15 priority commodities that the Government of Uganda is focusing on to promote growth, development and employment creation. In its effort to support the Government to enhance youth employment in agriculture, in 2018 FAO launched a selection process to identify the value chain with the greatest potential to boost youth employment. Based on considerations of economic and socio political feasibility, as well as overall sustainability considerations, national youth and agriculture stakeholders have decided on pursuing actions in the coffee value chain. This study was therefore commissioned to analyse the coffee value chain and identify constraints and opportunities for youth employment. It also aimed at suggesting upgrading options and policy actions that could realize the potential for creating and enhancing youth employment in the coffee sub-sector.

While businesses and supply chains have worked to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic’s extraordinary challenges, little concrete data has been available to aid in understanding consumers’ needs, making it difficult for many in our industry to plan for the future. To meet this need, the NCA commissioned an exclusive COVID-19 supplement to our yearly National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) market research series.

Legends and myth. Apocrypha and simple fictions. It’s that time of year. Coffee has at least one oft-told holiday story and it, too, is a combination of fact and fabrication, or things we just don’t know to be true.

If you want to take the long way around, and we do, our story begins but does not end with John Arbuckle, a man who it seems to me would be happy enough if remembered as a coffee roaster and not much more. But he was much more. He was a philanthropist, innovative entrepreneur, “trust buster,” and inventor. He held several patents on coffee roasters and improvements to the coffee roasting process. He held a patent, appropriately, on a method for fireproofing buildings. He also, it is worth mentioning, invented mittens that included a tube so you could blow warm air from your mouth directly onto your fingers. The last patent he applied for was a method for raising sunken ships, a method so significant in its design that even 60 years later subsequent patent applicants for similar procedures were obliged to cite Arbuckle’s work. That ship lifting patent was approved, but not until after his death in 1912. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’ve killed him already and he hasn’t even been born yet.

Coffea arabica (Arabica) and Coffea canephora (Robusta) are the two primary cultivated species of Coffee. However, there are many other Coffea species that have not yet been evaluated that can offer traits useful for future breeding programs to ensure sustainability of the crop.

Wild coffee species have desirable traits that could be incorporated into Arabica and Robusta coffee cultivars. Genebanks provide access to both cultivars and wild species for breeding programs and to determine preferred cultivars for diverse growing conditions

Popular with consumers around the world and supporting numerous developing nations as one of their key commodities, the coffee industry is both valuable and – up to the beginning of 2020 – expanding.
However with Covid-19 slowing both production and demand, and disrupting the global supply chain, the global coffee industry has stalled in recent months – and seen new trends take hold.
Here’s our summary of the key factors set to affect the coffee industry in 2021 and beyond.