SCA Sustainability

The future of coffee is at stake. Due to climate change and low coffee prices it is very difficult for coffee farmers to maintain their work.

At the same time the demand for coffee is still increasing. If we want to keep drinking our daily cup of coffee something needs to change. So what can you do?

In this NEW SCA sustainability course we look at the challenges the coffee supply chain is facing on the level of

Economy

Climate

Social conditions

We start with a short trip to the past. What has colonization to do with today’s coffee trade and what happened with the coffee prices the past few decades? We will look at the C-price and explain what the different certifications and logos on our coffee mean and do?

We also look at the coffee plantation and how the climate affects the cultivation of coffee. And what interventions are needed to be able to grow coffee in the various coffee countries in the future.

Finally, we discuss the social conditions in the coffee communities like gender inequality, the aging of farmers, the lack of education etc..

We discuss all the above topics in an interactive way with discussions, practical assignments and games.

At the Foundation Level, students will learn the terminology that is key to understanding sustainability, review the history of sustainability in coffee, and explore key sustainability challenges at each step in coffee’s value chain. Students will begin exploring the complexity and trade-offs to current sustainability initiatives and practices, and access and understand tools available for those working in sustainability.

No matter where you work in coffee’s value chain, from coffee farmer to barista to each step in between, this course is designed for you. At the end of the course, you will be prepared to:

• Understand the complex challenges related to sustainability
• Identify some ways to best implement solutions
• Articulate broad sustainability challenges at different points in the value chain
• Discuss possibilities for sustainability solutions and best practices at various levels of the coffee value chain
• Explain the trade-offs of different sustainability projects and practices.

Language:English

Course material:English

Course Length: ~ 8 hours (including exams)

* Course fee includes Exam & Certificates fee** Date and time can be arranged for groups of 8 or above

The Intermediate course takes the broad concepts of sustainability introduced in Foundation and asks students to analyze and interpret a variety of unique sustainability projects. After completing the Intermediate level, you will be able to

• Articulate your unique ideas about defining and measuring sustainability and sustainable development in order to better understand and assess the major issues facing specialty coffee.
• Gain exposure to different sustainability approaches in the value chain, with a firm grasp of the defining issues in at least two parts of the chain most relevant to the student
• Have a more detailed understanding of collective action and what platforms exist to collaborate, leverage resources, and share results
• Understand and be able to articulate how progress on sustainability initiatives is measured and defined in a variety of contexts
• Be able to assess case studies and sustainability research
• Develop a plan to move forward on a sustainability initiative within their own organization.

Language:English

Course material:  English

Course Length:  ~ 16 hours / 2 Days (including exams)

* Course fee includes Exam & Certificates fee** Date and time can be arranged for groups of 8 or above.

The Professional Sustainability course is an intensive, practical, and hands on experience where you will design, implement, and assess a sustainability initiative of your own design, while keeping in mind the capabilities and missing of your organization. The Professional class is taught over a period of several months with in-class sessions (either online or face-to-face) where you are supported and mentored as you develop and carry out your projects. Once you earn your Sustainability Professional certification, you are better equipped to make educated choices about complex issues (and the costs and compromises). You will be a leader in Sustainability in coffee!

• Identify measures of accountability and progress on a particular sustainability issue
• Engage extensively with debates, policies, and practices of sustainability across multiple points of the value chain
• Lead others in discussion and practice of these issues, and serve as a mentor for future students
• Identify, develop, carry out, and assess a sustainability effort that fits within their organization’s capabilities, is measurable and trackable, has structures of accountability, and is critically reflexive about its successes and failures
• Serve as an advocate for intelligent sustainability programming across the coffee industry by participating as a mentor to future students

Language: English

Course material:  English

Course Length:  ~ 20 hours / 3 days (including exams)

* Course fee includes Exam & Certificates fee** Date and time can be arranged for groups of 8 or above.