LONDON – Mauricio Galindo, Head of Operations at the International Coffee Organization, presented the introductory speech at the Ernesto Illy Foundation’s 1st Conference on Women in the World of Coffee, held in Trieste, Italy, on March 27-28.
The theme of the conference was titled, “Fostering the ‘Quiet Revolution’ Through Education and Access,” and covered a variety of topics affecting women along the entire coffee value chain.
Following is the text of the keynote.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honour and a pleasure to be here present amongst you, with the task of delivering the opening speech and moderating an event that aims to capture the essence and significance of the so-called quiet revolution women are bringing about in the world of coffee.
Coffee is, no doubt, unique amongst other tropical commodities, not only because of its value (we at the ICO recently estimated the global coffee value chain to be worth US$170 billion in terms of total consumption), but because of its unique characteristics in terms of the complexity, traceability and differentiation it increasingly deploys, and the rich cultural connotations that are present all along the very long and laborious supply chain.
It is often said that coffee is the 2nd most exported commodity in the developing countries after oil. Whilst that quote is debatable, it remains true nonetheless that millions of farmers, as many as 25 million, derive their livelihoods directly from growing coffee. In some countries, coffee remains the primary source of foreign revenue, thus vital for the economy of many nations.
But even in places where industrialisation has taken-off and the agricultural sector has been surpassed by others in terms of total revenue, the social impact that coffee production has on the well being of rural populations remains huge, with the consequent well-known implications for the overall living standards of the whole country’s population.
Peace and security depend greatly on a well-fed and well-educated rural sector, a reality that countries like Colombia have understood very well when deciding to subsidise their coffee growers in the face of below production-costs international prices.
In the more than 10 years of experience that I’ve had in the coffee industry, I have come to see very diverse realities across the many coffee producing countries I have visited. One aspect that has certainly caught my eye, be it at the farm, at the coop, at the trading floor, or at the company boardroom is the slow but steady rise in the number of women in position of power.
Though it is true that a marked unbalance in gender distribution remains in place, that balance has been shifting and more and more women as decision makers are being heard, more and more women who have defied the status quo and dare take their destiny in their hands to improve their lives and that of those around them. Needless to say, this is no easy task.
Challenging ancestral prejudices rooted in tradition, prejudices that relegated women to bear the brunt of labour without a say in the distribution of income has taken a great deal of courage and determination. But more and more women are taking up that challenge and are thus radically transforming themselves and the world around them.
Some of the key instances where the role of women is having a positive impact in coffee production include better production management, improved quality, improvement of living conditions and household income, transfer of knowledge, education of the second generation (see the Asomobi testimony), migration from large estates ran by men to micromills ran by women, and development of specific skills (cupping but also others).
These are just a few of the many examples that will be illustrated here today as we witness the testimonies of our speakers.
Today we have been brought here by initiative and generosity of the Ernesto Illy Foundation, wanting to give voice to these experiences – for the first time -in a collective event, bringing together the manifold experiences from all corners of the world of outstanding women who embody the achievements made possible by this ongoing quiet revolution.
The Ernesto Illy Foundation is convinced that we can foster this “quiet revolution” of women in coffee by sharing their experiences so that in the near future it becomes a focal point for the collection, study, and dissemination of ideas aimed at improving the relationship with growers, improving sustainable models and the quality of the product.
