The International Coffee Organization (ICO) has announced ‘Coffee’s Next Generation’ as the focus for International Coffee Day 2020, to be held on 1 October.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis with extreme economic consequences that has also created an unprecedented situation in the coffee industry, negatively impacting both supply and demand in parallel for the first time. Even before COVID-19, farmers were already struggling due to low coffee prices and global challenges, such as the impacts of climate change.
In light of the cumulative effects of the coffee price crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, The ICO says not only is there a serious threat to the livelihoods of coffee farmers today but also a dramatic risk to the future of coffee tomorrow. An increasing number of young people in coffee-farming households are moving away from “the family business” to other locations and jobs that they see as more progressive and lucrative for their future. Furthermore, many of the jobs often held by young people across the coffee value chain have recently been lost.
International Coffee Day is an occasion that is used to promote and celebrate. It is also an opportunity to promote sustainable coffee practices and to raise awareness for the plight of coffee growers.
On 1 October, the ICO is launching Coffee’s Next Generation as a global initiative targeting talented and motivated young people and entrepreneurs in the coffee sector.
“Investing in youth will generate both innovative and sustainable solutions for the coffee sector, contributing to ‘Build Back Better’, enabling recovery from the crisis and building a better and stronger future, positively impacting coffee communities around the world,” the ICO says in an official release.
The program will also aim to mitigate the lack of engagement of youth in coffee farming and other areas of the value chain. “It will help to reinforce and promote youth contribution to the sustainable development of the sector,” the ICO says.
To enable these young people to build a prosperous and sustainable future, the initiative intends to provide them with access to finance and knowledge, skills development, coaching and training, as well as networking.
Coffee’s Next Generation is intended to engage ICO Members and all coffee stakeholders to work together with industry leaders, youth organisations, international organisations, development and financial partners. and coffee consumers, to invest in the youth and bring to life their innovative ideas and enthusiasm to benefit the whole coffee community and to recover from the pandemic building a more prosperous future.
“We call on the global coffee community, to all the stakeholders and to the millions of coffee consumers and lovers to celebrate coffee and to contribute to building Coffee’s Next Generation,” the ICO says.
For more information, visit www.internationalcoffeeday.org