Improving the living and working conditions in the Brazilian coffee-producing sector
This GCP Collective Action Initiative seeks to improve the living and working conditions of coffee growers and workers in Brazil. In addition to contributing to the elimination of unacceptable social practices at farm-level, the initiative will also raise awareness of degrading working conditions and continuous improvement of best social practices.
Brazil has one of the strictest labor legislations amid all coffee producing countries, but not all growers fully comply. Legislation is complex, bureaucratic, and costly for growers to comply with, specially smallholders. Although most Brazilian coffee growers in general have fair living and working conditions, there are cases of forced labor among workers.
It is vital to create and raise awareness about unacceptable living and working conditions amidst farmers, leaders and opinion makers (many of whom do not believe they happen) and create effective solutions to fight the problem and prevent it.
This Collective Action Initiative, in partnership with InPACTO and Cecafé, targets to improve living and working conditions for about 5,000 coffee growers and workers, while raising awareness about degrading working conditions and generating continuous improvement in the coffee sector. This initiative will contribute to eliminate unacceptable social practices at farm-level, focusing on:
- Education on social sustainability
- Mapping and monitoring of working conditions in coffee areas
- Studies covering living wage, living income and cost of production
- Positive communication of success cases
