Re: Black Gold on PBS
On 11 Apr 2007 06:40:40 -0700, "shane" <shane.olson@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
The documentary film "Black Gold" was broadcast on my local PBS
affiliate. I am not sure if it has gone USA wide or not. The film is
about the global coffee consumption and how coffee production affects
farmers in Ethiopia and the farmers trying to get a fair price for
their coffee.
Local broadcast schedules are here:
http://itvs.org/search/broadcast.htm?showID=1168 . (This Saturday at
9pm in Los Angeles). Be prepared for a lot of very real human misery.
I was on a panel discussion of it at a screening in Beverly Hills two
weeks ago. Since the panel also included Ted Lingle, Tim Castle and
Ric Rhinehart, we were able to give the audience a pretty full picture
of the many efforts going on to help the farmers, in addition to the
Fair Trade promoted by the film.
If you blink, you will miss the farmer explaining that the Ethiopian
government dictates which plot of land he must farm on, which
hamstrings his ability to be more productive. The film makers give the
Ethiopian government a free pass, while focusing their angst on
Western institutions.
The film also uses some misdirection to imply the WTO is also at
fault, which is irrelevant in the case of coffee, since coffee trade
is not subject to WTO treaties.
For those who have attended SCAA conferences and barista competitions,
you will see some familiar faces.
Marshall
.
Relevant Pages
- Re: Kona Coffee Disputes...
... on the issue of "Kona" coffee contain 75% Kona coffee and the smaller ... farmers give in on on the mandatory green bean ... It seems that the major stumbling block on the part of the estate ...
(soc.culture.hawaii) - Re: Hawaii Island Mayor Vetoes GMO Ban
... Of course the interest of the farmers such as yourself should be ... Vietnam would be a better place for such experiments--their coffee ... Again this is why such decisions need to be made at a high enough level so that (if the risks associated with the research are deemed low and controllable enough that the research should be permitted to proceed) then it can be done SOMEWHERE, in what is deemed the best place for it. ... I put "damaged" in quotes because ruining the rest of the Kona crop by cross pollination or some other magical mechanism are bogus - however the European buying public has been known to be influenced by such bogus arguments - an accusation against a product can be totally without scientific merit and yet affect consumer perceptions greatly - this has happened countless times, ...
(alt.coffee) - Re: Has anyone seen Black Gold yet?
... I can't call this film great - pretty perhaps, politically interesting, ... love the films featured player TADESSE MESKELA from the Oromia Coffee ... "C" market is well-spent he is definitely naive. ... are pre-disposed to enjoy them - small roasters - not big roasters, ...
(alt.coffee) - Re: Black gold! The Movie!
... This film is right on with how direct relationships with roasters and farmers is a far more superior way to bring speciality coffee to the world! ... Please try your best to see the film. ...
(alt.coffee) - Re: Ping Larry: Sintered Bronze
... Was that Turkish style coffee? ... George Howell was the founder of Coffee Connection years ago, and more recently created the Cup of Excellence program, where small farmers are encouraged to produce the highest quality beans with country wide competitions and small lot auctions based on the results. ... Ordinary small farmers get around $.65 a pound, whereas Fair Trade is paying about double that to coops, which use some of the money to provide basic services and schools. ...
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