¿Entendemos el café y su rol en la importancia en el desarrollo económico de Costa Rica?

Abstract

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of the research was to analyze the role of coffee in the economic development of Costa Rica, evaluating its importance for the generation of income, employment and socio-environmental sustainability.

Research methodology The research used a bibliographic review, a survey was applied through the Google Forms tool aimed at coffee producers and marketers in Costa Rica, considering a sample of 104 respondents. The data was produced using the analytical Excel tool and analyzed with a triangulation of the findings obtained.

Findings The coffee production chain is mostly focused on marketers and producers. The importance of coffee for the local economy is high, in relation to the price in recent years, it has had a significant variation generating a fluctuation in the market. Coffee is characterized by being a sustainable product in the region, but with little support from the government entity, presenting difficulties in the competitive environment, climate change, market instability and access to financing. The product is distributed in a high percentage through direct sales to the consumer. However, they consider it important to establish robust policies in terms of foreign trade, as well as the implementation of technological innovation.

Limitations of the research The sample considered according to the population was represented by 379 respondents, however, when applying the questionnaire through Google Forms, only 104 questionnaires were obtained with answers within the established period. Therefore, access to technology is a limitation for the respondents, generating a selective group, which, in future studies, could be complemented through face-to-face techniques, in order to improve the representativeness and quality of the data collected.

Practical implications Implementation of training programs in techniques related to coffee production, creation of organizations that allow access to broader markets. Research not only provides a contribution to academic knowledge, it also transforms the economic and social reality of the coffee-growing community.

Originality / value The study is based on a comprehensive approach, combining methodologies that allowed us to establish a basis for a topic that, in the current context, has been little studied, but which managed to interconnect economic, social and sustainable factors about coffee, which go beyond scientific and academic knowledge.