Linking Globalization to Local Land Uses: How Eco-Consumers and Gourmands are Changing the Colombian Coffee Landscapes

Market trends are becoming prominent forces shaping local landscapes. The increasing demand for high-quality and sustainable coffees is driving land-use decisions among Colombian farmers. A value chain analysis shows that farmers who sell to differentiated markets significantly captured a larger portion of the value added and faced lower volatility than mainstream producers. Consequently, regions apt for producing differentiated coffees experienced the greatest increase in area planted. Tracing the value chain reveals how land use decisions increasingly depend on the pressures and opportunities created by global markets, with detectable impacts on livelihoods and landscapes.

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