The Coffee Science Foundation (CSF) has announced a new research project aimed at evaluating sustainability interventions and their real impact on coffee producers.
Supported by an extensive literature review, the initiative will endeavour to understand the impact of interventions on farmers’ incomes and how such interventions can improve the livelihoods of the millions of resource-poor around the world.
“Most coffee farmers are smallholders and about half of them live below the international poverty line,” says Davide Del Prete, Associate Professor of Economics at University of Naples Parthenope. “These farmers face unique challenges in improving production and productivity. Several interventions and programs have been implemented in the sector but, to date, there is a lack of a systematic review of their effects. With our research, we aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of these interventions and highlight their success in improving coffee farmer productivity and income.”
This project, led by researchers at University of Naples Parthenope and London School of Economics and funded by Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), will develop a comprehensive understanding of the current knowledge of which farming interventions have succeeded in improving coffee farmer prosperity, with a focus on randomised control trials and quasi-experimental studies.
“Partnering with the Specialty Coffee Association creates a unique opportunity to illuminate learnings about the most effective ways to improve coffee farmer prosperity,” says Whitney Kakos, Director of Supply Chain Sustainability at Keurig Dr Pepper. “In commissioning this study, the SCA is providing data-backed insights that enable stakeholders in the coffee industry like KDP to optimize the impact of their investments on farmer livelihoods.”
As the research arm of the SCA, CSF aims to provide the specialty coffee community with scientifically rigorous research that benefits the entire coffee value chain.
“Many companies seek to act positively within their supply chains but have little information about what interventions might do the most good,” says Peter Giuliano, Executive Director of the CSF. “Our hope is that this research is an early step towards providing this information to specialty coffee businesses everywhere.”
For more information, visit coffeescience.foundation
