World Coffee Producers Forum

The first forum was held in Medellín, Colombia, in July 2017 and consisted of close to 1,500 attendees from over 40 different coffee-producing countries. Speakers and panelists included industry leaders, economists, analysts, leaders of several Latin American countries, as well as former US President Bill Clinton.[5][6] [7]

The keynote speaker was Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs. As a coordinator of the forum, the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) in New York commissioned the Columbia Center for Sustainable Investments (CCSI) under the leadership of Professor Sachs a study about "Economic and Policy Analysis for Improving Smallholder Coffee Producers' Income". The conclusions will be presented at the WCPF meeting in Campinas by Professor Sachs.

The focus of the forum was the intersection of coffee and sustainable development, specifically economic sustainability, rural development and socioeconomic indicators, and adaptation to climate change. The forum explored these topics through moderated panel discussions on the first day and focused working groups on the second day. This conversational structure of the forum was meant to encourage dialogue between experts and the attendees, many of whom were coffee farmers from around the world, rather than a simple transfer of information, such as a lecture.[8][9]

With the announcement of the intent to form a not-for-profit, the next event was scheduled for July 10 and 11. It will take place in Campinas, Brazil. Consequently, the event was held and the final declaration from this year's forum is as follows:

In the city of Campinas, Brazil, on July 10 and 11, 2019, the second forum of coffee-producing countries was held, and considering: 1. That the first Forum raised worldwide awareness to the need for economic sustainability in global coffee supply. However, there has not been effective engagement from the other sectors in the coffee value chain to improve coffee producers’ remuneration. 2. That research by professor Jeffery Sachs from Columbia University highlighted the need for interaction among all agents in the value chain for the development of global actions in addition to those already carried out in each country, with co-responsibility of all public and private agents in the coffee trade to guarantee the implementation of sustainability in its economic, environmental and social dimensions. 3. The opportunity for development of new technologies to improve the traditional forms of commercializing coffee, bringing producers and consumers closer and aggregating value to origins. 4. The importance in stimulating global coffee consumption, especially in producing countries and emerging markets, to guarantee balance between supply and demand and, consequently, remunerative prices to coffee producers.

Resolved:

1. To promote the creation of a technological platform to aggregate and make available information and numbers to all segments of the coffee value chain, in a manner that creates transparency in business and price formulation. 2. To develop a mechanism that facilitates the availability of information from producing origins through traceability of offered products and their specificities to end consumers. 3. To promote the training of producers through technical assistance and rural extension for the professionalization in property management and the acquisition of knowledge about market risks. 4. To stimulate the development of innovative strategies and campaigns to promote coffee consumption, mainly in producing countries and emerging markets. 5. To develop mechanisms, marketing strategies and technological innovations that enable achieving remunerative prices for producers, such as “economic sustainability” and “roasted by origin” seals. 6. To encourage each producer origin, at public and private levels, to develop national plans for sustainability for the coffee sector. 7. That the WCPF Committee will move forward with creating a legal entity to plan and execute on the strategies in this declaration. 8. The next World Coffee Producers Forum shall be held in 2021. The committee shall coordinate with the countries which city shall hold the next event.

This declaration was made in Campinas on 11 July 2019.[10]