ABSTRACT
Global economic pressures have led to ever-widening disparities in wealth between farmers who produce coffee and those who benefit from the multibillion dollar market they make possible (Oxfam, 2003). Traditional growing methods have been abandoned for modern technical solutions that intensify production. Unfortunately, while modern practices can increase yields, removing shade trees costs farmers household income from alternative products grown in diverse agroforestry systems and results in a general loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services (Perfecto et al., 1996; Rice, 2003). Efforts to counter this ecological and socioeconomic degradation have put coffee at the forefront of a new sustainability movement to reform negative globalization trends. A growing consumer base is now seeking alternative products that alleviate or minimize these harms (Giovannucci, 2003). Consequently, sustainable coffee certification programs provide an important test case for this broader approach of market-based solutions to conservation and social justice problems.
