Honors Theses and Capstones

Date of Award

Winter 2025

Project Type

Senior Honors Thesis

College or School

COLSA

Department

Natural Resources and the Environment

Program or Major

Forestry

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

First Advisor

Dr. Ranjit Bawa

Abstract

Coffee is one of the most widely traded commodities globally, with the market valued at over USD 223 billion in 2023. The cultivation and management of this crop are largely carried out by small-scale farmers, who make up approximately 80% of producers and rely heavily on coffee farming for their livelihood. Despite the relevance of this crop for producers and consumers alike, these producers often live in conditions of extreme poverty. Variability within climatic conditions has increased the vulnerability of coffee plants to pests and pathogens, in particular Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) (Hemileia vastatrix). This, in turn, has led to periods of extreme economic market volatility and depression. While there is limited data on the pervasiveness and impacts that this specific disease has on global plant health, the economic impacts due to crop losses are estimated to be around one billion dollars annually. This disease is not only damaging for the global market but can be devastating for small-scale farmers that are already economically marginalized. Historically, many countries have been able to subsidize coffee farmers to a certain extent, especially with foreign economic assistance from programs such as the United States USAID program. This USAID financial assistance has been tightly correlated with narcotics control in Latin American coffee producing regions. Peru is the world’s second leading producer of cocaine globally; as a result, there is and has been an intricate tie between coffee and coca (Erythroxylum coca) production, which government subsidies have tried to sever. With the 2025 withdrawal of the USAID program, these formerly established financial assistance programs have been halted. The primary objective of this paper is to provide context for the current and potential future status of Latin American coffee production and management, specifically analyzing how the current livelihood of coffee farmers in Peru, the presence of coca cultivation, and how incorporating an agroforestry management style could be useful for coffee producers.

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