Personal reflection - Essay Example

Coffee is one of the most consumed commodity in the world market. It attracts a lot of revenues, but the farmer continue to live in absolute poverty. According to Francis and Francis, more than two billion cups of ‘black gold’ is consumed daily (Francis). In addition, Francis argue that of this 400 million customer are from America (Francis). Therefore, given that people consume coffee at a higher rate coffee, farmers ought among the richest people in coffee producing countries such as Ethiopia.

However, this is not the case as farmers live in abject poverty of less than a dollar a day. There is much reason that explain the perpetual social problem among coffee farmers. One of the main problem is the existent of middlemen in the coffee market (Francis). They buy coffee at a low price and sell at super profit. In addition, the coffee market is controlled by a few multinational companies that dictate the prices of coffee (Francis). For this reason, the farmer has no power to control the market, but they are reduced as price takers.

And because the coffee multinational want to maximise their gain they buy coffee seeds at low price to the disadvantage of coffee farmers. This explains the perpetual circle of poverty among Ethiopian and other African countries that grow coffee (Francis). And because lack of hope in controlling the poor prices of coffee, the farmers are turning to chat farming because it attracts better prices in the local market. They argue that the only way out of poverty is to abandon coffee for other lucrative farming.

Works CitedBlack Gold. Dir. Nick Francis. Perf. Marc Francis. 2006. Film.