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Environmental and Economic Impacts of Growing Certified Organic Coffee in Colombia

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Listed:
  • Ibanez, Marcela
  • Blackman, Allen

    (Resources for the Future)

Abstract

According to advocates, eco-certification can improve developing country farmers’ environmental and economic performance. However, these notional benefits can be undercut by self-selection: the tendency of relatively wealthy farmers already meeting eco-certification standards to disproportionately participate. Empirical evidence on this matter is scarce. Using original farm-level survey data along with matching and difference-in-differences matching models, we analyze the producer-level effects of organic coffee certification in southeast Colombia. We find that certification improves coffee growers’ environmental performance. It significantly reduces sewage disposal in the fields and increases the adoption of organic fertilizer. However, we are not able to discern economic benefits. The return on certified production is not significantly different from that on conventional production.

Suggested Citation

  • Ibanez, Marcela & Blackman, Allen, 2015. "Environmental and Economic Impacts of Growing Certified Organic Coffee in Colombia," RFF Working Paper Series dp-15-02, Resources for the Future.
    • Handle: RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-15-02
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    File URL: http://www.rff.org/RFF/documents/RFF-DP-15-02.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Reich, Charlotte-Elena & Musshoff, Oliver, 2022. "Oil Palm Smallholders Preferences towards Certification Schemes -A Discrete Choice Experiment in Indonesia," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322371, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    organic certification; coffee; Colombia; difference-in-differences matching;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q13 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Markets and Marketing; Cooperatives; Agribusiness
    • Q20 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - General
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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