Sustainable coffee farming: positive social agenda for the coffee export sector

Brazilians celebrated International Labor Day on May 1st and, on the 25th of the same month, the country will celebrate Rural Workers' Day. Brazilian agriculture has a relevant impact on the economy and this growth is closely linked to new technologies developed to assist producers inside and outside the properties, whether related to research, development and innovation, as well as the improvement of production processes, management and services involved in the activities.

To this end, the evolution of labor productivity in agriculture has contributed to obtaining the results observed in production chains. The evolution of Brazilian coffee farming, represented by 300 thousand rural producers and millions of workers, results from planning and daily efforts that demonstrate the competitiveness and sustainability of national coffee production, through supplying the domestic market and serving the most diverse and demanding global markets. It is important to highlight that, according to the Table, 86,2% of Brazilian coffee growers are on properties below 20 hectares, which demonstrates the importance of family farming in national production.

 

Brazilian coffee farming has broad and diverse guidance and training programs for producers and rural workers. Added to this are the actions promoted by the export sector who have been seeking digital inclusion and improving production processes for more than 15 years, with considerable increases in productivity and quality of the coffee harvested.

The international demand for a socially sustainable production chain is growing and is increasingly present in roasters that buy coffee from Brazil. That way,Cecafé – Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council, as a representative of the Brazilian coffee export sector, recognizes and invests in actions aimed at sustainability, which encompasses the social, environmental and economic aspects of the entire production chain. Cecafé has worked to strengthen actions in coffee regions, based on the Children of Coffee at School, Informed Producer and Safe Coffee Programs, with important results that strengthen sustainability in the coffee production chain in Brazil.

Aware of international demands for the sector, Cecafé began supporting the Mesa Café Brasil Project, at the invitation of the National Pact Institute for the Eradication of Slave Labor – InPACTO and Catholic Relief Services – CRS. The initiative aims to promote aspects of transparency and promotion of decent work in Brazil's coffee sector and has the support of certifiers, governments and important international roasters. Focusing on operations in Minas Gerais, the efforts, started in 2017, mobilize and raise awareness among governments , companies and civil society on social issues, with a view to establishing a common agenda aimed at improving working conditions. The aim is also to contribute to the Brazilian coffee sector consolidating itself as a global reference for a socially sustainable production chain.

It is noteworthy that the agenda in favor of decent work was incorporated into the handouts and training of the Informed Producer Program, preparation and distribution of folders with information on the issue at national and international events in the sector, raising awareness among rural producers about working conditions in its properties and the advances observed in Brazilian coffee farming.

Decent work is increasingly becoming an important criterion in the flow of global trade. Therefore, frequent monitoring of what occurs within rural properties, especially regarding compliance with labor legislation, is extremely important for rural producers. A well-informed owner promotes better working conditions and avoids problems during labor inspections.

It is also important to highlight that Cecafé has supported, since the beginning of 2017, the Coffee Technological Development Center – CETCAF. With the strategic guidelines “Quality and Productivity”, CETCAF has promoted the development of coffee farming in the state of Espírito Santo, encompassing technological aspects, productivity, quality of life for the producer and sustainability of the people who make up the coffee chain.

Cecafé will continue to develop the work of bringing knowledge to coffee growers, through digital inclusion, the search for increases in productivity, quality and income, gender equity, entrepreneurship and family succession, enabling them to overcome all challenges and ensuring increasingly sustainable coffee farming.