Sample Paper on Coffee in Columbia
Coffee is one of the major cash crops grown in Colombia. It is one of the major contributors to the economy of the nation, and many small scale farmers enjoy its benefit. In the mid-’90s, the industry of coffee in Colombia grew dynamically due to the creation of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. The mentioned organization permitted the small producers and union of local farmers to confront the economic and logical difficulties with which the individual farmers could not deal. With time, this Federations improved the cultivation system and even developed more spatial patterns that differentiated the product and supported its quality. Currently, coffee cultivation in the country has spread all over the mountain ranges and other regions; thus, it generates income for over 500,000 coffee farming families.
Through exportation, the product’s leverage popularity has been recognized internationally, and the coffee shops have expanded to more than eight countries. Coffee production has also enabled the creation of a positive social impact through training, research, community, personal development, and environment protection (Atherton 57). The mentioned plan is meant to allow the families to obtain higher prices in their coffee to improve their lives.
Social, Cultural and Political implication of Coffee
Social Implications
Coffee production has encouraged distributed income, thus reducing the disparities between the rich and the poor. Coffee exportation differs from that of other products such as petroleum because the profits of petroleum come from the government, which is in charge of refinement, distribution, and even exploration. Coffee farming has enabled small scale farmers to confront buyers who have higher liquidity and capacity to purchase. The crop has enormous social and economic significance because it unifies specific characteristics. Additionally, coffee production has reduced health risks in Colombia because of reduced dependence on the use of agrochemicals. Most households consume coffee, which is healthy. The production of coffee has also enhanced cohesiveness among the different communities as they interact during the process of farming and selling of the commodity. Columbia has a long history from the wars of independence to current conflicts. Coffee production has reduced conflicts and crime due to dependence on the cash crop (Skidmore and Smith 117). Thus, the youth, who are often involved in organized crime can find a way to earn their living.
Cultural Implications
Coffee has dictated the way of life for the people in Columbia. The commodity has found its way in Colombia’s traditions such as The Manizales Fair festival which is practiced in January and The Carnival of the Blacks and Whites, which also happens at the beginning of each year. The practices have made coffee unique since it is incorporated in their yearly rituals, which attract many people. Coffee has also surged networks with diversities of cultures and features, which may include afro descending communities and the children of the settlers who have diverse cultural manifestation within the region (Suaza-Vasco et al. 78). Additionally, families collaborate to find solutions to other problems in the country.
Political Implication
Due to the increase of coffee production in the country, the farmers formed an organization to help rural farmers who had minimal access to the policymakers. The body enabled the locals to present their grievances and find solutions. Farmers gained a say in the politics of the country because they were represented at the national level, which contributed positively to the growth of the nation. The trade unions that farmers formed also helped to steer the government to develop favorable policies which could market coffee exports and increase revenue to the state. There were fewer barriers to coffee trading, which played an essential role in marketing coffee across the globe.
Works Cited
Atherton, Lewis E. The Frontier Merchant in Mid-America. Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri Press, 2017. Print.
Jiménez, Michael F. Traveling Far in Grandfather’s Car”: The Life-Cycle of Central Colombian CoffeeEstates:: the Case of Viotá, Cundinamarca (1900-1930). New Jersey: Princeton University, Dept. of History, 2016. Print.
Suaza-Vasco, Juan, Andrés López-Rubio, Juan Galeano, Sandra Uribe, Iván Vélez, and Charles Porter. “The Sabethines of Northern Andean Coffee-Growing Regions of Colombia.” Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 31.2 (2015): 125- 134. Print.
Skidmore, Thomas E, and Peter H. Smith. Modern Latin America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.