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Research Recap: The cost of financially sustainable coffee production in Latin America

By: Katelyn Godoy
Screen grab from Miguel Gomez's research, Cost of Sustainable Production

Publication title

Cost of Sustainable Production: An Overview of Farm-Level Production Analysis in Latin America

Disciplines represented:

Sustainability and Global Enterprise, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture Management

Schools/contributing organizations:

  • Charles H. Dyson School Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
  • David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Cornell University
  • Fair Trade USA

Co-authors:

  • Miguel Gómez, associate professor, Dyson
  • Juan Nicolás Hernández-Aguilera, Ph.D. candidate, Dyson
  • Belén Rivadeneira, Fair Trade USA
  • Colleen Anunu, Fair Trade USA

Summary:

Fair Trade USA and Cornell University partnered in research to analyze the farm-level costs of four coffee producer organizations in Latin America. The research estimates the cost of production per pound and per hectare of an average small-holder produc­er, and analyzes returns based on market price and productivity.

The overall goals of this research are:

  1. to advance the understanding of produc­tion costs for small-holder coffee farmers who sell into the Fair Trade market, and
  2. to disseminate findings in ways that foster increased transparency, enable long-term partnerships, and enhance sustain­able purchasing practices.

Read the full study in its entirety here.