Alternative Title

More Coffee Please? The Present and Future of the Coffee Industry in Colombia and Honduras in Light of Oppressive Climate Change

Abstract

Coffee. As human history has progressed, this beverage has rapidly become ubiquitous, and is cultivated in approximately 70 countries around the globe. Due to their favorable locations, the coffee industry has become indispensable in many Latin American countries. This study centers on Colombia and Honduras, and their respective governing bodies. As the worldwide consumption of coffee increases, the reality of the irrevocable damages humans have inflicted on the planet is sinking in, as is the current truth of how climate change is impacting not only coffee consumption, but also the thousands of small-scale farmers whose culture and livelihoods are contingent on the viability of the industry. Throughout this thesis, the following question was addressed: What is the link between the governing bodies of the coffee industry, climate change and environmental concerns, and the lives of coffee farmers in Colombia and Honduras, and is a sustainable future possible in light of these changes? To tackle this question, the coffee industry in both countries was analyzed in terms of global warming, environmental phenomena, and the importance of marketing as manifested by production and exportation data. While global climate change still presents an imminent threat, the coffee industries in Colombia and Honduras have successfully countered various obstacles that surged as a result of climate change, implying that the efforts undergone by their governing bodies were not futile, and that although large scale events are largely out of the control of individual coffee farmers, adversity can, to some extent, be overcome.

Advisor

Uber, Diane

Department

Spanish

Disciplines

Agriculture | Biology | Latin American Languages and Societies | Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health

Keywords

Coffee, Coffee Industry, Climate Change, café, el cambio climático, la industria del café, Honduras, Colombia

Publication Date

2018

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

Share

COinS
 

© Copyright 2018 Diana Bickmore