Recognizing the exceptional importance of coffee to the economies of many countries which are largely dependent upon this commodity for their export earnings and for the achievement of their social and economic development goals, the Organization also encourages sustainable development and poverty reduction in producing countries through projects which have as their principal …show more content…
On the environmental side coffee is an evergreen shrub, hence an important contributor to carbon sequestration, and is effective in stabilizing soils. It also permits the preservation of much of the original bio-diversity in planted areas.
One of the main problems for some regions is water pollution arising from wet processing. To address this issue, the Organization assists coffee farmers in producing countries to use environmentally-friendly technologies for the washing process through pilot projects in Africa and Latin America. It is vital that coffee production and processing should take into account environmental needs to ensure sustainability. It is also necessary that the economic environment should encourage stability and reasonable living standards for the populations involved with coffee, and ensure the maintenance of quality. In practical terms, the ICO encourages coffee quality improvement through projects dedicated to improving cultivation, processing, storage, transportation and marketing practices. It also encourages efforts to strengthen regional capacity in the field of coffee certification and verification such as through a multi-country project in Eastern Africa to create a regional centre for certification and an outreach programme for producers. Coffee also makes a positive contribution on the social side to maintaining substantial rural employment and stable communities. Improving the living standards of coffee producers, especially smallholders, is a priority for Governments, as highlighted at the last World Coffee Conference. Relevant ICO activities include building the capacity of institutions, improving access to credit and risk management mechanisms, reducing vulnerability to income volatility and promoting gender