3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
550 General Services Building, 550 General Services Building University of Alberta , Edmonton Alberta
Title “Long-term Viability of Coffee Production – Farmer Prosperity and Corporate Approaches to Change”
Speaker: Kaan Ozdurak, PhD
Date: Thursday, October 31, 2024
Time: 3:30 – 4:30 pm
Location: GSB 550
Abstract
Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks and demand for coffee is growing. The global coffee sector is worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually, but the long-term viability of coffee production is threatened by climate change, pests, farmer poverty, and ageing farmer populations.
Despite widespread agreement on the need to address challenges, change is not happening quickly enough. Corporations, as the sector’s most powerful stakeholders, are in a position to lead sector change. This study considers corporate approaches to institutional change in the coffee sector aimed at safeguarding the long-term viability of coffee production.
Corporations pursue a range of ‘vehicles for change’ — certification standards, direct trade, regenerative agriculture, and pre-competitive collaboration. Two institutional developments are increasingly shaping the governance of the coffee sector — pre-competitive collaboration and the sector’s ‘pivot to farmer prosperity.’
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