The International Coffee Agreement (ICA) aimed at strengthening the global coffee sector\nthrough the promotion of its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment for the\nbetterment of all participants in the sector. This goal was meant to be achieved through five\nstrategies, namely, (1) promoting international cooperation on coffee matters, (2)\nencouraging consumption that balances demand and supply, (3) providing market\ndevelopment, (4) facilitating fair-trade and (5) enhancing coffee financing for small\nscale farmers in developing countries. An exploratory study aiming at assessing to what\nextent the ICA has contributed to the development of export markets for small scale\ncoffee growers in Manicaland, Zimbabwe showed that the ICA is failing to promote\ninternational market development. 99% of the respondents agree that it is doing it to a lower\nextent. This study recommends that the ICA should put in place a platform to incorporate\nthe small scale farmers so that they increase their market spectrum in order to increase its\nexport volumes and sustain the sector.
Loading....