Coffee adapts: How public-private sector interactions can promote democratic, just and effective climate adaptation

Climate-related risks have become ever more pronounced for agriculture and food systems, with already clear impacts over globally traded goods such as coffee. Producers around the world have started to adapt, but previous research has largely focused on adaptation carried out by public actors, and there is little knowledge about how interactions between public and private actors governing adaptation can be improved.

This project breaks new ground by investigating perceptions, patterns, and sources of public-private sector interactions in adaptation governance in the context of coffee production in Brazil. We explore the role of Brazilian public policies, domestic and international supply chain actors, demand-side sustainability measures as well as creative strategies that producers have engaged in, such as local value addition and development of own brands of specialty coffees for greater economic resilience.