Devouring profit - International Coffee Organization

74
face of world coffee and to formulate coherent integrated procedures to develop and
maintain a viable coffee sector. All too often coffee institutes seem to react to change
rather than to instigate it. This is in no small part due to the decline in the power of
these institutes as post-pact policies have taken effect.
We suggest that coffee institutes will increasingly be expected to help farmers comply
with standards such as:
IPM for pest control
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) for ochratoxin management
Compliance with ISO standards
Organic compliance (Soil Association, Biodynamic)
Shade coffee certification
Starbucks Preferred Supplier Program verification
We believe that institutes as they are presently constituted and funded, will not be
able to achieve competence in all these fields and that they will have to concentrate
on a few of the most important aspects that confer the most benefit on the greatest
number of farmers. Foremost amongst these aspects will be the production of quality
coffee which, independent of any scheme, will tend to find a better price.
In order to improve this state of affairs, the first requirement should be a systematic
review of the whole coffee production process to determine critical points that affect
economic viability for farmers. From our interactions with institutes, we have seen
little evidence of a commitment to such a rigorous procedure.
Research: in most countries IPM research lacks a clear strategy, neither guided by a
clear understanding of farmers’ needs nor underpinned by a rigorous economic analysis
of the sector’s requirements. Too many researchers follow a special interest to the
exclusion of all other factors and though many have a sincere desire to promote sustainable
coffee growing, all too often they fail to make significant advances. In their
endeavours, poor infrastructure and lack of funds hamper their work.
Whereas many of their economic problems are beyond their immediate control, researchers
need to develop a more open and participatory approach to understanding
the realities of modern rural life. They need to devote at least a part of their resources
to short-term and pragmatic research aimed at solving small and solvable problems
that can demonstrably show an improvement in the plight of the rural poor.
Extension services: to be effective, IPM strategies need a set of robust techniques,
knowledge and measurements. Through all this process, extensionists should participate
actively in teaching the coffee farmers about how to manage the pest.