World Coffee Producers Forum facts for kids
The World Coffee Producers Forum (WCPF) is a special group that helps people who grow coffee. It's a not-for-profit organization, which means it doesn't try to make money for itself. Instead, it works to solve problems faced by everyone involved in making coffee, especially the farmers who grow the raw coffee beans.
The first big meeting happened in Medellín, Colombia, in 2017. At this meeting, they wrote a document with seven important decisions. One decision was to create a plan to help farmers when coffee prices are very low. People from about 40 different coffee-growing countries attended, along with important leaders. Famous speakers like former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos showed how important this forum is for the coffee world.
During the meeting, everyone talked about how important coffee farming is in countries where coffee grows. President Clinton often said that "coffee is an anchor for development." This means that if you support the coffee industry by helping farmers learn new skills and build better roads or tools, it will help poor farmers. Because coffee is so important to how people live and work in these areas, a strong coffee industry helps make things stable and leads to more progress.
The WCPF focuses on helping coffee farmers because most of the world's coffee (about 70-80%) is grown by small farmers on small pieces of land. In many countries, coffee farming doesn't make up a huge part of the country's total money (GDP), but it's vital for the farmers themselves. These farmers often live in poverty. The forum looks for ways that governments and non-profit groups can help these farmers.
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History of the Coffee Forum
The World Coffee Producers Forum first met in Medellín, Colombia, in July 2017. Nearly 1,500 people from over 40 countries came together. The main goal was to talk about how to make the global coffee business fair and lasting, especially as farmers' incomes were dropping.
One big topic was how to help farmers earn more money. They discussed working together with everyone in the coffee supply chain to encourage more people to drink coffee and to get better prices for farmers. They also talked about the impact of climate change and how to help coffee-producing countries grow more coffee.
In April 2018, the WCPF announced that it was becoming a formal not-for-profit organization. This group would work to make sure coffee farmers have a stable income. It would also raise awareness about the challenges in the coffee business, especially for the farmers.
Key Events and Meetings
2017 Forum in Colombia
The first forum took place in Medellín, Colombia, in July 2017. Around 1,500 people from more than 40 coffee-producing countries attended. Speakers included leaders from the coffee industry, economists, and presidents from Latin American countries, plus former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs was a main speaker. He led a study about how to improve the income of small coffee farmers. The results of his study were shared at the forum.
The forum focused on how coffee connects with sustainable development. This included looking at how to make the coffee business strong for the long term, how to help rural areas grow, how coffee affects people's lives and money, and how to deal with changes in climate. The forum had discussions with experts on the first day and smaller working groups on the second day. This setup helped experts and coffee farmers from around the world talk and share ideas, rather than just listening to lectures.
2019 Forum in Brazil
After deciding to become a not-for-profit group, the WCPF held its next event on July 10 and 11, 2019. This meeting was in Campinas, Brazil. At the end of the event, on July 11, 2019, the organization released a statement. It said that there is now "worldwide awareness to the need for economic sustainability in global coffee supply." This means more people around the world understand that coffee farmers need to earn enough money to live.
