In the Pursuit of Sustainability: Lessons from the Coffee Sector

Recent years have shown an impressive and growing concern about sustainable production of food, fiber and oil crops. As more crops become incorporated into the sustainability realm, which often involves a certification of prescribed production methods/conditions, lessons can be learned from sectors with extant sustainability initiatives. For biofuels, a sector with rapidly expanding areas devoted to cropland worldwide and some debated benefits in both social and environmental issues, lessons from the sustainable coffee sector's history and development can provide insights about possible paths toward sustainability. This paper presents some of the history and development of the sustainable coffee sector, emphasizing the role of science and inter-institutional relations in the emergence of several initiatives. A number of key issues and themes to consider are explored, hopefully providing some direction to those in the biofuels sector with an interest in sustainability.