Lauren Pappas
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University
COMM 3080: Environmental Sustainability and Communication
Professor Lauren Chambliss
March 25, 2022
Environmental challenge description
Agricultural systems of all types face the negative impacts of climate change. For the coffee industry, climate change causes variations in temperature and precipitation, lack of shade, and increased pests on their most prominent croplands (Läderach et al., 2017). All of which impact coffee beans' taste, scent, and nutritional quality (LaPoint, 2021). More specifically, Arabica and Robusta, the bean species that dominate the coffee industry and require highly sensitive growing conditions, are harmed by these ramifications of climate change (Bianco, 2020). In fact, "studies predict that by 2050, the amount of land usable for coffee will be half of what it is today" (Yudina, 2021, para. 7). Unfortunately, because of this, the small-scale farmers who produce those beans are now at high risk of unemployment. These farmers lack the financial means and resources to adapt to the conditions--relocation, introducing new bean species, having resources to implement crop rotation, et cetera. (Yudina, 2021). A staggering realization, considering small-scale farmers make up "80% of the world's coffee production" (Yudina, 2021, para. 9).
This impact of climate on both coffee and its farmers means that by 2050, the most prominent coffee bean sources will be scarce, and multinational corporations (MNCs) in the coffee industry will be left without enough supply to meet their demands (Bianco, 2020). Thus, the implementation of more effective communication efforts by coffee companies that directly help small-scale farmers adapt to climate change is crucial for the coffee industry's survival.
Summary of relevant academic research
In his literature review of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies of Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Tim Horton's Nestle, and Tchibo, researcher Gino Bianco analyzes the efficacy of current communication efforts for this issue. He first finds that the world's five largest coffee companies focus on marketing third-party certifications. Third-party affiliations, the most widespread being Fair Trade, aim to provide farmers with fair working conditions and affordable bean trade prices (Bianco, 2020). Bianco (2020) reports that multinational corporations place their certification labels on their products to advertise their participation in such an affiliation. Essentially, MNCs "[check] the box of environmental and climate-related CSR" for their image (Bianco, 2020, p. 9). However, these affiliations and marketing strategies neglect the "root causes of poverty" and "key environmental and livelihood challenges" that directly harm small-scale farmers and the industry the most (Bianco, 2020, p. 5). For that reason, Bianco (2020) concludes that the current focus on marketing and implementing third-party affiliations in the coffee industry is ineffective.
Instead, he proposes that successful communication for this issue should explicitly discuss modes of climate adaptation and create shared value (CSV) between companies and farmers instead (Bianco, 2020). CSV is the communication theory by which companies direct and market their sustainability efforts to appeal to society and their stakeholders to increase engagement in their initiative (Porter & Kramer, 2011). Climate adaptation, however, is a business tactic by which one adjusts to the inevitable harms of climate change that persist as a result of irreversible damage done to the earth and its atmosphere versus trying to mitigate the climate changes themselves (Bianco, 2020). An example of tying climate adaptation with CSV for this issue could be promoting price increases on coffee to fund small-scale farmers' purchase of, and resources to grow, Kamaya or Highland coffee beans--feasible replacement options for the Arabica and Robusta niches (Davis et al., 2020). The company that carries out the campaign could rationalize the price increase to stakeholders, explain this sustainability effort clearly, and define it as climate adaptation. Though Bianco (2020) does not explicitly say it, reclaiming the language and appealing to both society and company stakeholders in this way is similar to the framing theory. Per class lecture on January 22nd, the framing theory re-captures language and appeals to an audience's wants or needs to increase engagement in a campaign (Chambliss, 2022). The previous example looked like re-capturing the term climate adaptation to get stakeholders on board to change coffee prices. While additionally appealing to the audience of stakeholders with what they care about: money.
Although Bianco (2020) believes this combination of CSV with climate adaptation would be the most effective communication strategy, he points out that it comes with two main challenges. The first is that when tied with climate adaptation, coffee companies fear ridicule by their political stakeholders and their competition, as climate change is polarizing and relatively uncharted territory in the industry. The second challenge Bianco (2020) points out is the lack of leadership in the industry regarding establishing norms with climate adaptation, due in part to the negative implication that comes with it--that there is no answer to solve climate change.
Examples of current communication campaigns/efforts around this topic
Unlike the challenges and focus on third-party affiliations consuming some MNCs, the WeFarm campaign shows how being more explicit about climate adaptation can be effective. Created by its CEO Kenny Ewan, WeFarm is an online farmer-to-farmer platform that allows small-scale coffee, tea, and cacao farmers to share knowledge and connect via SMS messaging (Force, 2018). As discussed in Adam Force's Change Creator podcast, a medium all about the ins and outs of brand creation, farmers sign up for the messaging service. They can send in questions and comments about farming through WeFarm. The platform then acts as the message's middleman by using an algorithm to organize question and statement categories, user histories, commonly asked questions with auto-replies, and user languages to forward and translate messages to other farmers to which the message pertains. Those who receive the message can then reply with an answer if they have one, or learn from other answers sent on the chain. An additional element on the platform is that it also shares farming product information--reviews, prices, and where to find affordable options near users' locations. Ultimately, this campaign's mission is to connect and educate small-scale farmers--who may have been unable to do so before without Internet connection or physical closeness--so they can adapt to the ever-changing climate issues harming their farm practices.
Kenny Ewan, in the Change Creator podcast, mentions that staying true to that mission was a key reason as to why the company started with 15,000 users in Kenya when it was founded in 2015 and grew to a reported 2,500,000 in 2021 across East Africa and Latin America (Force, 2018). Another key reason was that WeFarm marketed and tested its service on the ground to establish trust with its audience (Force, 2018). First, Ewan says that each WeFarm marketing team was based in Kenya and pitched its ideas to Kenyan co-ops they felt had the most knowledge about the farms in their area aside from the farmers themselves (Force, 2018). Then, once the team felt like they had a solid foundation for their service, Ewan says they tested it with the farmers. Specifically, asking them for input on improving the messaging platform, not to mention questions about how they currently initiate communication with neighboring farms in real-life (Force, 2018). By initiating interpersonal connections, creating a dialogue with co-ops and farmers, and seeking all of their input for service development, WeFarm proved to its primary audience that their voices were valuable. Godemann and Michelsen (2011), authors of "Sustainability Communication – An Introduction", would say that WeFarm used word-of-mouth social marketing strategy and empowerment strategy to build trust with its audience.
Moreover, Ewan credits the support of WeFarm investors and the NGO grants they received to such a successful development of its social marketing and empowerment strategies (Force, 2018). However, in the Change Creator podcast, he discusses how communicating with this alternative audience in the campaign was different from the co-ops and farmers (Force, 2018). He attests this to their different values and interests in the platform, as the investors were more concerned about "what caused current engagement rates" and how "future engagement projections" will be reached (Force, 2018). Similar to the challenges MNCs face with this issue, the concept of their campaign was in such uncharted territory; no one wanted to be a part of it at first, and no one thought it would last either (Force, 2018). It was not until WeFarm provided more information about climate adaptation, why it is the way of the future, and why it is suitable that investors started buying into it (Force, 2018). With that said, aside from the framing theory, another theory present in communication efforts for this issue is the information deficit theory. According to class lecture on January 27th, this theory details that a lack of information and understanding can cause reluctance to a proposal but can be overcome if more information is provided (Chambliss, 2022).
Communication strategy development
After analyzing unsuccessful third-party affiliation communication and successful climate adaptation communication, focusing on climate adaptation seems to be the best way to help small-scale farmers and coffee production. Still, it may be better if implemented by an MNC's use of persuasion to get investors and stakeholders on board. Not to mention veering away from electronic campaigns. Instead, using a fact sheet to accommodate impoverished farmers who may not have mobile phone access.
In a perfect world, a prominent MNC in the coffee industry, like Starbucks, could carry out this climate adaptation-focused communication by creating fact sheets to inform small-scale farmers about practical climate adaptation farming methods. The MNC could target the small-scale farmers that produce their coffee. However, it would also have to persuade investors and other stakeholders to get on board. Although prior research omitted persuasion with their stakeholder audience, an effective mode of persuasion for this issue could be using Cialdini's Principles of Compliance. Precisely, the principle of scarcity. This principle says, "people want more of what they can have less of," so highlighting the limited access to something will increase the likelihood that an audience changes their attitude, and thus behavior, accordingly (Cialdini, 2001, p. 78). In this case, the stakeholder attitudes would change from not caring about Arabica and Robusta coffee preservation to caring about it. Hence, their behavior changes from not funding to funding the implementation of a fact sheet.
Nevertheless, after getting the stakeholders and investors on board, the fact sheets could be distributed on the ground to the MNC's small-scale farmers in the three locations that produce most of the world's coffee: Brazil, Vietnam, and Columbia to maximize its impact (Deshmukh, 2021). The campaign could be driven by a word-of-mouth (WOM) social marketing strategy in each location, considering the success with WeFarm. A literature review by researchers from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, determined that WOM creates high reliability and credibility transmitted by family and friends in rural areas, making it the most effective social marketing method for rural demographics (Huete-Alcocer, 2017).
On the ground, a trial run distribution of fact sheets would happen first for this WOM social marketing strategy. That way, research cohorts could ask the farmers questions about challenges they believe detrimental to their crops, niche farming strategies they find effective or ineffective, what type of improvement they are seeking for their farm, and more. In doing this, the fact sheets would be adjusted to farmers' specific needs. Enough so that the fact sheets will effectively and directly educate small-scale farmers on climate adaptation methods.
Aside from WOM social marketing and distribution strategies, another critical aspect of this campaign will be empowerment strategies to establish trust with the farmers, similar to WeFarm. Using empowerment strategies goes hand in hand with the inclusion of farmers in developing the fact sheet. However, new tactics may involve a different form of mindful intercultural design and language elements in the second round of fact sheets. Typically, small-scale farmers are located in rural agriculture, many of which, in this specific case, may speak Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Spanish exclusively (Kapur et al., 2014). So, creating copies of each fact sheet in English and the farmers' native language will be inclusive. Avoiding high-level vocabulary and lengthy context surrounding the tools and making extensive use of simple design to explain the tools on the sheet accurately will be crucial for comprehension and a likeness to implement simple strategies. In doing so, the fact sheets will put climate adaptation into more universally understood terms, mitigate confusion around the idea of climate adaptation, and mend the intercultural language barriers between those who distribute the fact sheet and those who receive it. By seeing these inclusive design and language tactics on the fact sheets on top of their involvement in the fact sheet's development process, the farmers will trust the campaign. Similar to WeFarm, this will positively impact the implementation of the adaptive climate strategies and the levels of engagement with the communication effort.
Engagement with a hard copy strategy like a fact sheet could be measured based upon the number of fact sheets distributed and qualitative feedback noted by the research cohorts on the ground with the small-scale farmers. High amounts of fact sheets distributed and high amounts of positive feedback by farmers to researchers would indicate high levels of engagement and short-term success. On the other hand, long-term success would be determined by collecting the farms' Arabica and Robusta bean production rates prior to receiving a fact sheet. After one year, the production rates of those beans on those farms would be recollected. The span of one year is specific, although the fact sheets would most likely need to be updated frequently, as the climate adaptation strategies change as climate patterns change. If the rates on the farms increased after receiving the fact sheet, that would indicate the long-term success of the fact sheet.
Unfortunately, a considerable challenge with implementing a hard-copy climate adaptation communication strategy would be its rigorous nature and how quickly it can become outdated, despite the traditional appeal it may have to the farmers. Another challenge may also be getting MNCs to care enough about the issue in the first place because though they likely are aware it exists, they continue to put it on the back burner (Bianco, 2020). Hopefully, with efficiency in distribution and appealing to small-scale farmers’ needs, a hard-copy climate adaptation strategy like a fact sheet may be simple and effective in informing farmers.
References
Bianco, G. (2020). Climate change adaptation, coffee, and corporate social responsibility: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40991-020-00048-0
Chambliss, L. (January 22, 2022). COMM3080: Environmental Sustainability and Communication. Lecture, Ithaca, NY.
Chambliss, L. (January 27, 2022). COMM3080: Environmental Sustainability and Communication. Lecture, Ithaca, NY.
Cialdini, R. (2001). Harnessing the science of persuasion. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2001/10/harnessing-the-science-of-persuasion
Davis, A. P., Gargiulo, R., Fay, M. F., Sarmu, D., Haggar, J. (2020). Lost and found: Coffea stenophylla and c. affinis, the forgotten coffee crop species of West Africa. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.00616
Deshmukh, A. (2021). Which country produced the most coffee in 2020? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/which-country-produced-the-most-coffee-in-2020
Force, A. (Host). (2018). Interview with Kenny Ewan: How wefarm built the world’s largest farmer-to-farmer network. Change Creator [Audio podcast]. https://changecreator.com/interview-kenny-ewan-wefarm-built-worlds-largest-farmer-farmer-network
Godemann, J., & Michelsen, G. (2011). Sustainability communication--an introduction. Sustainability Communication: Interdisciplinary 3 Perspectives and Theoretical Foundations, 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1697-1_1
Huete-Alcocer, N. (2017). A literature review of word of mouth and electronic word of mouth: implications for consumer behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01256
Kapur, M., Dawar, S., & Ahuja, V. (2014). Unlocking the wealth in rural markets. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2014/06/unlocking-the-wealth-in-rural-markets
LaPoint, L. (2021). Coffee and the effects of climate change. Tufts Now. https://now.tufts.edu/articles/coffee-and-effects-climate-change
Läderach, P., Ramirez–Villegas, J., Navarro-Racines, C., Zelaya, C., Martinez–Valle, A., & Jarvis, A. (2016). Climate change adaptation of coffee production in space and time. Climatic Change, 141(1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1788-9
Porter, M., & Kramer, M. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value
Yudina, E. (2021). A world without coffee: The story behind a possible. Berkeley Economic Review. https://econreview.berkeley.edu/a-world-without-coffee-the-story-behind-a-possible-impending-coffee-crisis