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Coffee's adventure to become a global staple can be traced back to Ethiopia, one of the cradles of civilization, where for centuries the first strains of a still unknown fruit were zealously cultivated.
From there it spread patiently across the African continent and reached Asia through the port of Mocha in the 15th century and, less than two centuries later, the merchants of Venice spread it dizzyingly throughout Europe.
It was not until 1720 that coffee landed in Martinique and found a home in Latin America and the Caribbean that would eventually become its new place in the world.
Since then, coffee has marked our history and our culture, and has united us across borders and languages.
Currently, the region contributes close to 60% of global production, with leading countries such as Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Honduras or Guatemala, and coffee generates more than 14 million direct jobs.
Few sectors nestle in so many geographical points on the planet and bring together so many key dimensions for development.
Agriculture, the national productive apparatus and the social structures of the producing regions converge around coffee.
As demonstrated by the African experience, especially that of Rwanda, which recently hosted the World Producers Forum, coffee is also a valuable element of international projection for country-brands, a motor for public-private alliances and a space for growing interest for science and academia.
The historical adventure of coffee is living its honeymoon in Latin America and the Caribbean, where it has become one of the most vibrant, competitive and promising sectors.
In the coming years we will need to make visible a Latin American coffee leadership that promotes innovative and sustainable practices that can be replicated in other sectors of the region and also globally, and that become an emblem of green growth.
To achieve this, we must find effective responses to the industry's main threats: climate change and the sustainability of coffee farmers.
Coffee producers are increasingly experiencing the impacts of climate change, which is manifested in lower quality of the bean and an increased risk of diseases such as the borer.
Some studies indicate that by 2050, climate change could affect 75% of the land suitable for the production of Arabica coffee, and 63% of Robusta.
In parallel with climate threats, many consumers are willing to pay high prices for coffee, but farmers receive only a small fraction of that price.
With low prices early in the chain, coffee production does not seem economically viable for many farmers.
Faced with this situation, countries like Colombia, one of the most emblematic in terms of coffee production and export, is promoting sustainable, low-carbon, resilient, and prosperous coffee farming.
In this sense, the National Federation of Coffee Growers and CAF are working to build a global vision and a local perspective that allows understanding the needs of the communities, and that manages to apply sustainability criteria throughout the production chain.
Coffee production has a very special characteristic: its roots lie in tradition, but its versatility makes it an ideal space for innovation.
That is where we want to emphasize: training, and the generation and transfer of knowledge.
The initiative, also supported by Columbia University, the UN, the University of Oxford and the World Forum of Coffee Producers, will develop a guide to promote government sustainability plans, and will also carry out three simulations –in Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica–, which will characterize the diversity of conditions of the coffee-growing countries in the region.
The coffee sector is one of the best positioned to publicize the progress that we achieve every day in small rural communities.
Through its commercial arteries with a global reach, we can set trends and become a benchmark for global challenges such as sustainability, adaptation to climate change or the empowerment of agricultural communities.
Latin America and the Caribbean is ready to write a new page in the historic journey of coffee around the world.
A green and innovative page that translates sustainable and inclusive growth and more opportunities for the protagonists of the coffee production chain.
Sergio Díaz-Granados
is Executive President of CAF-Development Bank of Latin America.