Coffee Changes Women’s Roles in PNG

We all love a cup of coffee. Every day an estimated one billion people sit down to enjoy at least one cup of this favourite caffeine hit. For the coffee lovers, it might be more than one cup a day.

But as you admire the white foamy Fern on your familiar flat white or are just enjoying the simple cup of coffee at home, pause for a minute to contemplate how your coffee consumption is changing the lives of women in rural communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Consumers are demanding better-quality coffee, and as part of this, they know more about where its comes from. This is leading to international coffee brands to invest in single-origin coffees and consider issues including farming practises, environmental protection, the prevention of child labour, gender equality and other social factors.

As with many industries in PNG, the coffee industry has been dominated by men since it was introduced in the early 1920s. Traditionally, men made up the majority of coffee traders, coffee buyers and coffee suppliers.

However, as demand for better, single source coffee increases at the international markets, there as been a corresponding increase in opportunities for women to be part of the production and trade for this important crop for PNG.

To meet this changing demand, the coffee industry in PNG is seeing more women take leadership roles in managing coffee production, thanks in part to the assistance of the Australian Government and other agencies over the years.