Sometimes social reform must start from the level of those who possess the unknown power to do so, the ones who need reform the most. When countries are provided with resources and don’t reap the proper amount of return on their investment, they might as well give their product away for free. There is no need to do most of the work and get paid the least. That is the major trend on how most companies and industries operate. The fact of the matter is, it just isn’t fair and some reform is needed. When we allow industry and companies take control over the result of the products produced throughout counties we tend to forget about all the factors, people, animals and nature, in between who also gets affected by the means to meet their demands. That is what is happening in the coffee industry.
Within the production, processing, packaging and selling of coffee, developing nations, coffee farmers, tropical rainforests, biodiversity, rivers, and birds are all amongst those who are affected by the results of low returns on farmers investments who produce coffee beans. When we ethically dwell on the moral concerns of what’s right and what’s wrong, we must understand that “Ethics is the study of the choices people make regarding right and wrong (Ruggeiro, 4).” When people make moral decisions, they decide if their behavior or belief is acceptable or not. When making choices we must ask ourselves would society agree with us or not because our decisions affects any and everything involved. Because coffee farmers must meet such a high demand to reap a profit to survive off, they have converted from traditional ways of farming coffee to a more yield producing method. They went from growing coffee in the shade of tropical trees to now growing in full-sun production. The major concern with the switch is the fact that to use this full-sun production method, one must resort to using chemical fertilizers and pesticides that can no longer come naturally from the trees and inhabitants of the rain forest. These chemicals poison both workers and rivers nearby and those who consume the coffee from which these beans are produced. Many coffee drinkers aren’t aware that they are affected by the coffee they drink, because most don’t even question the source of where the coffee beans are produced. They just grab and go. What if they were made more aware?
Most companies who are faced with the problems of investing into something that would require a profit seeking return would more than likely have someone do extensive proper research about the product. Consumers who intake things on a regular basis and are consciously concerned about their health, would want to know whether they are consuming large amounts of pesticides and other chemicals. People who live near the rivers and utilize them for basic daily activities would be concerned with whether they are being poisoned by the water or not. If businesses that invested found that the coffee they invested in is not of highest quality, families found that the coffee being produced nearby is poisoning them, and the coffee being consumed by buyers is poisonous, their natural reactions and ways of responding to these issues would not be pretty at first. It could lead to lawsuits and/or it can lead to social reform and major changes being made. Who would benefit or suffer the most?
For anything to be farmed, because of the amount of time that must be spent surrounding the product, one must really have a sense of pride in their work. According to Thomas Hobbes’ Ethical Egoism, if we were to live in a State of Nature (natural condition of mankind), without demands from big business, then common standards of good, and economical justice would allow for more farmers to produce by means of shade by the topical trees. These businesses should not treat farmers as a means, only because, they are the most important people behind the products their company stands by and promote to the public.
If we go back to the nature of letting things be produced in society as naturally as possible then we can save everyone from being poisoned and ripped off financially. Farmers morals and ethics wouldn’t have to be challenged. For something like coffee, I feel the best result is to allow the supply and demand play by course of nature because then it would be treated like fruit that people purchase based on their season of best reproduction. That will allow for developing nations to utilize as much of their tropical rainforest as possible to maximize their profits to better sustain themselves. They should not have to suffer by means of one product when their conditions allow for them to produce more. Some countries such as Columbia have already opted out of the coffee trade for more profitable products. If more and more countries follow their trend then the coffee industry is at risk. While everyone still has time to fix the problems that exist, everyone should at least consider it. If big businesses don’t agree then they are doomed for failure in this investment.
Reference
Ruggiero, Vincent. 2015. Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. 9th Edition
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