Global Coffee Sustainability Conference 2018: the power of collaboration!
The Global Coffee Sustainability Conference 2018 gathered more than 300 diverse coffee sustainability leaders and experts together in Belo Horizonte to align on priorities and discuss on how to achieve global collaboration through meaningful actions at local level.
The GCSC18 was the perfect scenario to discuss the pressing issues in the coffee sector. Around 40 panelists from all around the world participated in the event, reflecting the need to prioritize coffee sustainability and its pillars: economic viability, productivity, measurement, climate resilience, innovation, gender equity, coffee research and sector alignment. Find out the highlights of the event, among related resources and other news.
Competitors working together: Collective Action Initiatives prove their worth
In one of the best moments of the day, the participants from a GCP Member Initiative (MI), currently running in Brazil, celebrated their recent achievements by joining forces to promote the responsible use of agrochemicals in Brazil.
See GCP Member Initiative addressing agrochemicals in Brazil
Rainforest Alliance and GCP´s new partnership agreement
During the first session, Han de Groot (Rainforest Alliance) and Annette Pensel (Global Coffee Platform) signed a partnership agreement for the next five years to intensify their joint projects and benefit coffee farming families around the globe. This milestone sets a precedent in the sector as the need of collaboration needs such bold actions to motivate real change at local level.
See: Coffee-producing countries will benefit from GCP and RA new agreement
Creating global change through local action
9 coffee-producing countries showcased their progress and outlook for 2019. The participants in the event had the chance to understand how the investments on sustainability projects become real as the country representatives gave an overview of what is happening in each country. During the Local Action Forum on – day 2 – the work of each Country Platform was more tangible thanks to in-depth information provided by the countries.
Check out the National Platform posters used during the Local Action Forum
ABIC and Embrapa will develop new tool for assessing coffee’s quality
The first day of the conference ended with news announced by Carlos Brando, Chairmain of the GCP Board, as he invited to the stage the representatives of the Brazilian Coffee Roasters Association (ABIC) and the Brazilian agency in charge of agricultural research´s (Embrapa). Both entities signed an agreement to develop “Coffee Class”, a new technology to analize the quality of coffee through artificial intelligence. During his speech, Nathan Herszkowicz, Executive Director of ABIC, highlighted the importance of including consumption in the sustainability discussion.
Finally, the GCSC18 was possible thanks to:
