May 28, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Colombia: Politics: Congress: Kansas City Infozine: Congressman Farr says: "Back when I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, local coffee farmers were able to support their families with a stable income. Now that we have rejoined the International Coffee Organization, I hope the United States will be able to take an active role in returning that kind of stability and security to coffee farmers throughout the world."

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Colombia: Special Report: Sam Farr: Sam Farr: Archived Stories: May 28, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Colombia: Politics: Congress: Kansas City Infozine: Congressman Farr says: "Back when I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, local coffee farmers were able to support their families with a stable income. Now that we have rejoined the International Coffee Organization, I hope the United States will be able to take an active role in returning that kind of stability and security to coffee farmers throughout the world."

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-245-37.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.245.37) on Saturday, May 28, 2005 - 1:38 pm: Edit Post

Congressman Farr says: "Back when I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, local coffee farmers were able to support their families with a stable income. Now that we have rejoined the International Coffee Organization, I hope the United States will be able to take an active role in returning that kind of stability and security to coffee farmers throughout the world."

Congressman Farr says: Back when I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, local coffee farmers were able to support their families with a stable income. Now that we have rejoined the International Coffee Organization, I hope the United States will be able to take an active role in returning that kind of stability and security to coffee farmers throughout the world.

Congressman Farr says: "Back when I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, local coffee farmers were able to support their families with a stable income. Now that we have rejoined the International Coffee Organization, I hope the United States will be able to take an active role in returning that kind of stability and security to coffee farmers throughout the world."

Bipartisan Briefing Addresses US Role in International Coffee Crisis
Expert Panelists Address Impact of Coffee Crisis on U.S. Trade and Security

WorldWashington, D.C. - infoZine - US Representatives Sam Farr (D-CA) and Jerry Weller (R-IL) recently hosted a briefing on the international coffee crisis.

The wpanel of experts discussed the current state of the coffee crisis and what the private, nonprofit and public sectors are doing to help create stability and security for coffee farmers throughout the world. Participants included:

* René Ausecha Chaux, COSURCA (Empresa Cooperativa del Sur del Cauca), a Colombian fair trade coffee cooperative, manager;

* Liam Brody, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, director of sustainable coffee;

* William Foote, EcoLogic Finance, founding president; and

* Seth Petchers, Oxfam America, coffee program manager.

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world and over 25 million people depend on it for their livelihood. After hitting a 30-year low in 2001, the price of coffee has begun to recover. But the extra cents in no way signal an end to the coffee crisis. Despite higher prices, small-scale farmers still cannot earn a decent income.

"Though prices have recovered somewhat recently, the effects of the coffee crisis are still reverberating among the many millions of vulnerable people dependent on coffee for their livelihoods," stated Congressman Farr. "Back when I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, local coffee farmers were able to support their families with a stable income. Now that we have rejoined the International Coffee Organization, I hope the United States will be able to take an active role in returning that kind of stability and security to coffee farmers throughout the world."

As a result of the crisis, many coffee farmers have lost their farms or have been forced to migrate to cities or other countries. In Colombia, farmers who once could make a good living harvesting coffee often have turned to growing coca, the base ingredient for cocaine.

"Coffee can provide the taste of freedom for millions of families by providing an alternative to illicit crops such as coca and poppies, especially here in the Western Hemisphere," said Congressman Weller. "The United States has taken the right action by rejoining the International Coffee Organization and now we must continue to work together to ensure the benefits of higher coffee prices are realized at all levels of production."

"By helping our farmers access international markets, COSURCA has been able to help alleviate the tension and conflict faced by many of the small-scale farmers in our region," said René Ausecha Chaux, manager of COSURCA, a Colombian fair trade coffee cooperative. "So many farmers have had to choose between growing illegal crops like coca or facing poverty for themselves and their families. With the right resources at their disposal, coffee cultivation offers them a viable, safe option."

Lack of resources, marketing expertise, technical knowledge, and access to capital make it extremely difficult for small-scale coffee farmers to compete in the global market and earn a sustainable livelihood. "A chronic lack of access to capital has stunted the growth and limited profitability of businesses rooted in communities such as small-scale family coffee farms," said William Foote, founding president of EcoLogic Finance, a financial services nonprofit that provides affordable credit to community-based businesses in Latin America and Africa. "A cost-effective, replicable approach to giving these businesses a chance to break their cycle of indebtedness, while broadening the benefits of direct commerce between North and South, is something the US government and private sector can work on with us."

The coffee crisis continues to create considerable economic and social instability in coffee-producing countries throughout Central America, Africa, Asia and South America and, in turn, affect US national security interests, like the war on drugs. "Green Mountain is committed to supporting the small-scale family coffee farmers that supply us with the highest quality coffee beans," said Liam Brody, director of sustainable coffee for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. "A sustainable supply chain depends on the ability for farmers to earn a decent living and invest in their crop."

The briefing coincides with the United States sending its first delegation to a meeting of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) since 1993. "Coffee plays a crucial role in the economic health of communities in poor countries all over the world," said Seth Petchers, coffee program manager with Oxfam America. "The US is in position to develop a meaningful and comprehensive strategy to address the coffee crisis with support from Congress and the renewed commitment by the US to the ICO."

Read Oxfam's latest report on the coffee crisis.






When this story was posted in May 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


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May 7, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Date: May 7 2005 No: 583 May 7, 2005: This Week's Top Stories
"Peace Corps Online" on recess until May 21 7 May
Carol Bellamy taking the reins at World Learning 7 May
Gopal Khanna appointed White House CFO 7 May
Clare Bastable named Conservationist of the Year 7 May
Director Gaddi Vasquez visits PCVs in Bulgaria 5 May
Abe Pena sets up scholarship fund 5 May
Peace Corps closes recruiting sites 4 May
Hill pessimistic over Korean nuclear program 4 May
Leslie Hawke says PC should split into two organizations 4 May
Peace Corps helps students find themselves 3 May
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Tim Wright studied Quechua at UCLA 2 May
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Dodd discusses President's Social Security plan 1 May
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May 7, 2005:  Special Events Date: May 7 2005 No: 582 May 7, 2005: Special Events
"Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30
"American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18
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RPCV Writers scholarship in Baltimore - deadline June 1
Gary Edwards' music performed in Idaho on May 24
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Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000  strong Date: April 2 2005 No: 543 Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong
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Story Source: Kansas City Infozine

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Colombia; Politics; Congress; Coffee

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