The world can’t resist a cup of coffee. From 2014 to 2018, there was an increase in coffee consumption worldwide, and the Philippines is poised to become one of the world’s five largest consumers by 2021.
The global coffee industry is valued at approximately US$77 billion with trade accounting for US$66.5 billion. Eager to be part of the global trade for coffee, the Philippines is targeting to increase its coffee production.
The road to global coffee domination is, however, not without its tensions and casualties. A warm cup of coffee belies the struggles and tensions on the ground.
The bid to produce more coffee has negatively impacted communities and the environment. The Philippines is among the first tropical countries to have critically reduced its forest area by agricultural expansion, destroying biodiverse habitats in the process. The operations of large-scale agricultural companies have also resulted in the internal displacement and dispossession of communities.
LRC’s latest research report, Brewing Tension: A Case Study of a Coffee Plantation in Indigenous Land looks into the story of coffee production: how it has been transformed from a simple agricultural product into a global commodity, and how it impacts on a community of indigenous people in the Philippines.
Brewing Tension Report
