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The Coffee Commodity Chain of Oaxaca

Page history last edited by Sam Rothberg 11 years, 11 months ago

Comments (6)

Mary Lucia said

at 8:29 am on Jan 27, 2012

Hi Sam.. moved my comment over to your page! Just highlighted some of the ideas that you were thinking about. If you were interested in "water", talking to INSO would be a good start. Learning more about demonstration projects and how they are impacting local communities could be interesting too. I know that one of the little villages in Zimatlan visited the demonstration project and have built "gabions" (not sure if I spelled that correctly) - those rock filters that slow the water down as it comes off the hills. Kris Gringa from last year's program did a project on "Water and Politics" - you might want to check it out.

aerindunford said

at 12:51 am on Jan 30, 2012

Hello Sam,

Just in looking at what other people are interested in and sort of seeking out the unique topics that people are considering, I think that it would be very cool if you were to do something about coffee in Oaxaca. There's quite a lot of coffee production here, but its not very visible in the city. You would definitely have to travel out of Oaxaca to visit some coffee farms which would be a great adventure. I don't personally know too much about the industry, but I have heard about two or three coffee collectives through my connection with the Heifer Foundation. I also know that they work with coffee growers here in southern Mexico (not sure if its also in Oaxaca or just in Chiapas) and also with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. I have always been curious about this connection to Vermont and could probably connect you with Max, one of the folks who works for Heifer if you're interested in learning more about this. Here's a link to the GMCR page that talks about their partnership with Heifer: http://www.gmcr.com/csr/PartneringWithCoffeeGrowingCommunities/HeiferInternational.aspx

Lemme know what you think about this idea.
Aerin

- Aerin

sguay@uvm.edu said

at 9:43 pm on Mar 26, 2012

Peer Review

My Dearest Sam, in reviewing your paper, I have tried to stick to two general concepts. 1) I corrected any grammar that I felt might strengthen a reader’s understanding of your project. I realize that grammar is not a huge part of a peer review (maybe?). 2) I have worked to identify areas of confusion—changing some wordings or working to further explain certain concepts might aid in a better understanding for someone who has no prior knowledge about your topic.

Please feel free to disregard any suggestions that you feel are unnecessary and please ask for clarification if you need to.

Discussion of Topic: 1) the word "It" that begins the second sentence of this section refers to coffee. You should replace "It" with "Oaxaca" 2) You make the point that coffee beans are as common as cacao beans in the markets here. Those who have visited this region will understand this comparison. However, unless you explicitly explain that cacao beans are very common, saying that the two are often found side-by-side might mean nothing to someone who hasn’t visited the area. 3) This section is a bit choppy (I know, that’s a general, likely unhelpful, term). I would work to improve its ‘flow’. I would erase the word “yes” that begins the second to last sentence because it assumes prior knowledge. Maybe you could say, “While most of the Oaxacan coffee is exported to places like Europe and the United States, the entire coffee commodity chain exists here in Oaxaca.

sguay@uvm.edu said

at 9:44 pm on Mar 26, 2012

My interest in the topic: 1) But why are you INTERESTED? Here, you state what you want to do, which is great…but tell us what sparks your interest? What is your personal investment? Why did you choose this topic? 2) The first few sentences here are very repetitive. 3) Why can’t the information be gathered from journal articles? (I actually am curious to know).

Research Statement and Question: 1) Erase “In the end” (you are learning about this topic throughout your investigation). 2) Erase “more” as in “…on a more local…”? 3) What do you mean by coffee CHAIN? 4) What do you mean by REAL PERSONALITIES? 5) Is your project actually working towards “helping people understand” the complex commodity chain of coffee? If so, all sounds great but I would then feel prepared (when reading your finished product) to learn about ways to educate the public rather than to learn about each step in the chain. Please ask me about this if I am not making sense. (Basically, what I am wondering, is if finding out how to help people understand is your goal.)

sguay@uvm.edu said

at 9:44 pm on Mar 26, 2012

Background Info: My Class 1) It’s great to tell the reader where your information come from and even to provide overarching themes about which you learned. I would, however, provide more information on EXACTLY what you learned.

Background Information: Internet Searches 1) I would write “…interviews that I will conduct, I have…” 2) Instead of “This research is good…”, I would write, “This research is helpful…” 3) I like that you included articles and what information you can use from them 4) I also like that you have a question from which to focus your interview questions on (“How does coffee affect your life?”/tailoring this question to fit each individual interviewee).

Background Information: Interviews 1) “…worked out well to my advantage” is wordy/repetitive 2) I’m not sure that you need to include your failed attempt to meet with the president of CEPCO (unless you plan to reference this later in your work)

sguay@uvm.edu said

at 9:45 pm on Mar 26, 2012

Research Plan: How I will explore my topic: 1) I do not understand the following sentence: “I then will try to speak with a manager or president of the cooperative of which that coffee is transported to, more specifically, this person would be called a transporter in the chain”. Please reword. 2) I think you have a very nice setup here. I like that you have several ideas about who to talk to and that you know what each will be able to contribute to your research.

Research Plan: Timeline: 1) the word ‘processor’ is spelt incorrectly

Conclusion: Nice!

I think that you have a really solid project idea. Your idea to follow a commodity from its origin to its consumption is brilliant and I think that, if you are able to complete your desired interviews, you will a) learn a great deal and b) represent the coffee chain very well. Your background research/knowledge seems to be very helpful. It’s obvious that you are interested in your project and I see nothing but a smashing success coming from your work.

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