Coffee courses
Economic, social, and political dynamics of the coffee value chain
Instructors
Dr. Karl Wienhold & colleagues
Total instruction hours
96 Hours
Course units:
3
Instruction language:
English; (Spanish coming soon)
Format
Distance learning
Program focus
The objective of this certificate program is to address the core underlying social dynamics that drive coffee farming, agriculture, production, and labour, rather than simply teaching how the current paradigm works and how to operate within the existing structures. Through the program, we will develop tools to analyse the realities and interpret events related to coffee production systems and commodity chains and to envision how to participate in the chain in a more empathetic, strategic, and collaborative manner based on knowledge of the interests, needs, and resources of other chain actors.
Selection of topics
The proposed sequence of topics follows a logical progression from the surface toward deeper structural analysis. The first course begins with the observation of the realities of the coffee sector and its historical formation. The second course advances toward the exploration of the technical operation of production and circulation processes. The third course concludes with an analysis of the social and natural forces and formations that underpin economic activity, and examines the challenges and debates faced by the industry and its stakeholder groups.
Target audience
This set of courses takes a transdisciplinary approach to the coffee sector, examining it from multiple perspectives and integrating operational, structural, and social analyses. This academic offering is intended for both students and professionals pursuing operational roles in the coffee sector, as well as those seeking analytical and institutional roles. It provides operational actors with tools to understand the impact of their actions and decisions, enabling their operations to become sustainable and stable. At the same time, it offers analysts a perspective on the incentives and behaviours of affected actors and how they interact with both the broader context and with one another.
Content
Course 1. Introduction to the Global Coffee Economy
Course 2. Analysis and Management of International Coffee Value and Supply Chains
Course 3. Coffee and development: social, economic, and environmental dynamics in the international coffee chain
Instructor profile
PhD in Development Studies, University of Lisbon (Portugal), focused on power dynamics and the economic and social analysis of the coffee value chain
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Thunderbird School of Global Management; Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
14 years of experience in the coffee sector in Latin America in operational and institutional roles, including eight years managing green coffee exports in Colombia
Publications in Q1 journals across the fields of agricultural economics, agrarian political economy, rural sociology, and financial economics, focused on the coffee sector
Author of the book Cheap Coffee (2021), a practical guide for the coffee industry on debates surrounding sustainability and justice in the sector