Rainforest Alliance is calling on the coffee industry to have a green revolution and turn the pesticide intensive, deforesting, low-paying coffee industry into a more sustainable business. The coffee industry remains a multi-billion dollar enterprise where few of the profits reach the farmers who grow the coffee.
"Imagine a 21st century green revolution for agriculture that, unlike its 20th century forerunner, does not depend on petrochemicals, deforestation and enormous inputs of water to fuel its growth, but instead focuses on something that has largely disappeared from the world—extension—or training farmers in good practices," said Tensie Whelan, president of the Rainforest Alliance, during her remarks at the Sintercafé annual coffee conference in Costa Rica today.
Each day more than 2 billion cups of coffee are consumed around the world. Black Gold: Wake Up And Smell The Coffee reports four multinational coffee companies (Nestle, Proctor & Gamble, Kraft and Sara Lee) dominate an $80 billion dollar industry, making coffee the second most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil.
"In many countries coffee is grown in biodiverse, environmentally important regions by people generally living in poverty," Whelan said.
The Rainforest Alliance reports that it will take each player in the coffee industry to support changes in the way in which the coffee business operates. Farmers can invest in sustainable practices and certification. Coffee companies can source from those farms that are third-party certified and educate consumers about the importance of those certifications. Investors can fund research and provide the financial support required to make drastic changes in coffee production, and governments can provide financial incentives and appropriate procurement policies.
Visit: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/
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