The Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia (SCOPI), representing Indonesia as part of the GCP Network of Country Platforms, and GCP Member, Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) hosted a stakeholder meeting with the International Coffee Organization (ICO) to discuss the Living Income Benchmark (LIB) for the well-being of Indonesian coffee farmers, in Jakarta, on May 10th, 2024.
The meeting was attended by Vanusia Nogueira, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization, and SCOPI members representing various stakeholders in the Indonesian coffee industry. This strategic forum served as a platform to discuss the current situation of the global and Indonesian coffee industries, with a primary focus on Living Income, a critical national and international priority.
Irvan Helmi, Chairman of the SCOPI Executive Board, highlighted in his opening remarks the significance of coffee farmers’ well-being for the long-term sustainability of the coffee industry.
“Without achieving a decent income standard for farmers, we cannot encourage them to apply sustainable coffee cultivation practices consistently,” he stated.
We believe that achieving ‘a genuinely prosperous living income’ is the only way to address other issues in the coffee industry, such as gender equality and effective supply chains
Irvan Helmi, Chairman of the SCOPI Executive Board
Nogueira reaffirmed ICO’s commitment through the Coffee Public and Private Task Force to support at least 21 of the 42 ICO member coffee-producing countries in achieving Living Income for coffee producers by 2030.
“All stakeholders need to work together to formulate strategies and solutions to bridge the gap between the Living Income Benchmark and actual farmer income,” she emphasized. Furthermore, Vanusia underlined the importance of funding mechanisms for coffee sustainability programs.
SCOPI, as the GCP-affiliated platform in Indonesia, and ICO have collaborated on measuring the Living Income Benchmark for Robusta Coffee Farmers in Lampung, and the report has been submitted to the government and is waiting for the government to release it to the public officially.
During the discussion, SCOPI’s Living Income working group’s co-chair, represented by LDC and Rikolto, presented their strategies and initiatives related to the Living Income Study. Diva Tanzil, Country Manager of Stronger Coffee Initiative LDC, elaborated on LDC’s strategy to establish a sustainable coffee supply chain that benefits farmers, the environment, and consumers. Meanwhile, Radhya Avisya, Coffee Program Officer of Rikolto Indonesia, presented the Living Income Benchmark measurement program in Kerinci, Jambi, and the strategy to close the Living Income gap through ecosystem services payment and agroforestry programs.
Several other strategic issues were also discussed, including the EUDR for coffee commodities, global coffee price volatility, and the sustainability of the coffee industry for future generations. As a follow-up to the meeting, SCOPI will advocate to the central government regarding the current result of the Living Income Benchmark Study. This advocacy aims to encourage multi-stakeholder collaboration in formulating practical solutions to close the Living Income gap for coffee farmers.
This stakeholder meeting represents a crucial step in the collective effort to achieve the Living Income Benchmark for Indonesian coffee farmers. With commitment and collaboration from various parties, it is hoped that coffee farmers’ well-being can be realized, and the Indonesian coffee industry can flourish sustainably.
Learn more about GCP’s work in Indonesia
