Ruins and Economics - Day Two In Guatemala
Guatemala Study Abroad Day Two
Today we woke up and had breakfast at 7:30 AM that some village women had prepared for us. Then at 9 AM we bused into Antigua. We went on a tour around the town and saw the shops, churches, and other historical sites. in the town I saw a good mix of women wearing traditional clothing and western culture clothing (similar to what we wear in the states). In the city I noticed a lot of tourists but also many street vendors selling fruits, paintings, flutes, jewelry, and more. The weather was beautiful all day long with a sunny but slightly overcast sky with a cool breeze.
One of my favorite things in the city today was the ruins. I really enjoyed looking through the old buildings and courtyards of where major community events took place so long ago. We took a lot of fun pictures and had a great time exploring! What I thought was interesting about this museum of sorts was that nothing was blocked off. There were signs explaining what various parts of the ruins were but you could climb on rocks, go into caves, and sit on benches and hills without restriction. In America, everything would have been roped off for the purpose of "preservation". I liked it a lot because it made the experience a lot more interactive and memorable!
R
When we got back to the guesthouse we did an activity to learn about the production process of coffee and how the final paying price is distributed between all of the steps in the production of coffee. Paco and I were the farmers, so during our turn in the first round we explained to everyone what we did, what risks we take with our portion of the production process and what proportion of money we believe we deserve out of the final price on the shelf at a grocery store (for this example the final price was $2.75).
After us, each other group did the same thing. There were five steps total: farmers, exporters, shippers, roasters and retailers. In the end, these were the numbers:
Do you see how little the farmers make for their own product? They suffer mos of the hardships of making coffee yet they get the least return on it. De La Gente is a direct model non-profit that is working on minimizing the amount of steps in the chain of supply. They are trying to bring coffee straight from the farmers to the consumers with as little in between as possible.
Tonight at dinner we ate with one of the cooperative's first 6 members, Miguel. He and his wife have been in the coffee industry for 50 years! They both sat and shared their experiences with us as we asked them questions about our research topics. Mine is about the (recent) civil war (1966-1996) and how that effected the coffee industry. Before the war, Miguel's parents weren't allowed to own land of their own, so they worked at the fincas or rented land from rich people. Fincas (large farms) had very bad conditions up until recently after the civil war ended. Many poor people looking for work were taken advantage of by the huge farm owners and some families would lose children to the harsh working conditions of the finca. Fifty years ago, when Miguel started in the coffee industry, the farmers got .3 quetzals for one pound of coffee. Twelve years ago it was .75 quetzals, and now it is 1.5 quetzals with the co-op. Miguel and his wife now have 12 children and 22 grandchildren. Most of their older children are all in school either in Guatemala or in other countries.
Earlier today, I learned through the activity how the money distribution really looks like behind the scenes of the coffee industry. It really got me thinking about what I can do to help, like buying coffee from sustainable and direct model producers and companies. Plus, I can tell and encourage others to do the same back home! And talking with the couple tonight I learned a little bit more about the conditions of farming coffee before, during, and after the civil war. it was a long but informative day, and I look forward to the rest of the trip!
Sincerely,
Shelby Click
Today we woke up and had breakfast at 7:30 AM that some village women had prepared for us. Then at 9 AM we bused into Antigua. We went on a tour around the town and saw the shops, churches, and other historical sites. in the town I saw a good mix of women wearing traditional clothing and western culture clothing (similar to what we wear in the states). In the city I noticed a lot of tourists but also many street vendors selling fruits, paintings, flutes, jewelry, and more. The weather was beautiful all day long with a sunny but slightly overcast sky with a cool breeze.
One of my favorite things in the city today was the ruins. I really enjoyed looking through the old buildings and courtyards of where major community events took place so long ago. We took a lot of fun pictures and had a great time exploring! What I thought was interesting about this museum of sorts was that nothing was blocked off. There were signs explaining what various parts of the ruins were but you could climb on rocks, go into caves, and sit on benches and hills without restriction. In America, everything would have been roped off for the purpose of "preservation". I liked it a lot because it made the experience a lot more interactive and memorable!
R
When we got back to the guesthouse we did an activity to learn about the production process of coffee and how the final paying price is distributed between all of the steps in the production of coffee. Paco and I were the farmers, so during our turn in the first round we explained to everyone what we did, what risks we take with our portion of the production process and what proportion of money we believe we deserve out of the final price on the shelf at a grocery store (for this example the final price was $2.75).
 |
| Paco and I organizing the steps of the coffee production process. |
After us, each other group did the same thing. There were five steps total: farmers, exporters, shippers, roasters and retailers. In the end, these were the numbers:
Job/Process
|
Price Wanted
|
Negotiation
|
Actual Price
|
Farmers
|
$1.00
|
$0.50
|
$0.05
|
Exporters
|
$0.90
|
$0.43
|
$0.08
|
Shippers
|
$0.32
|
$0.32
|
$0.16
|
Roasters
|
$0.90
|
$0.80
|
$1.77
|
Retailers
|
$1.00
|
$0.70
|
$0.69
|
Total
|
$4.12
|
$2.75
|
$2.75
|
Do you see how little the farmers make for their own product? They suffer mos of the hardships of making coffee yet they get the least return on it. De La Gente is a direct model non-profit that is working on minimizing the amount of steps in the chain of supply. They are trying to bring coffee straight from the farmers to the consumers with as little in between as possible.
Tonight at dinner we ate with one of the cooperative's first 6 members, Miguel. He and his wife have been in the coffee industry for 50 years! They both sat and shared their experiences with us as we asked them questions about our research topics. Mine is about the (recent) civil war (1966-1996) and how that effected the coffee industry. Before the war, Miguel's parents weren't allowed to own land of their own, so they worked at the fincas or rented land from rich people. Fincas (large farms) had very bad conditions up until recently after the civil war ended. Many poor people looking for work were taken advantage of by the huge farm owners and some families would lose children to the harsh working conditions of the finca. Fifty years ago, when Miguel started in the coffee industry, the farmers got .3 quetzals for one pound of coffee. Twelve years ago it was .75 quetzals, and now it is 1.5 quetzals with the co-op. Miguel and his wife now have 12 children and 22 grandchildren. Most of their older children are all in school either in Guatemala or in other countries.
Earlier today, I learned through the activity how the money distribution really looks like behind the scenes of the coffee industry. It really got me thinking about what I can do to help, like buying coffee from sustainable and direct model producers and companies. Plus, I can tell and encourage others to do the same back home! And talking with the couple tonight I learned a little bit more about the conditions of farming coffee before, during, and after the civil war. it was a long but informative day, and I look forward to the rest of the trip!
Sincerely,
Shelby Click
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