Marie Michael Library

Can an agricultural 'commodity' be de-commodified, and if so, who is to gain?

Fitter, Robert; Kaplinsky, Raphael

Coffee farmers, generally located in the poorest countries, have suffered in recent years as bean prices are at historically low levels. At the same time, global coffee retail prices are becoming more differentiated as some varieties reflect consumers' discriminating tastes. Farmers gain little from these differentiated prices.