The fluctuating price of coffee on the global market stresses Vietnamese coffee farmers and increases their risk of psychological issues. This is the result of a new international study by a Danish professor and his international team. Finn Tarp is professor at Copenhagen University and head of the development economics research group DERG.
The study showed, that the unstable prices of coffee lowers the farmers expectations of their future well-being, increases their mental load and alcohol consumption. They sleep worse, feel more lonely, are depressed, can’t focus, and feel more anxious. The study also concluded, that not only poverty, but also the potential of poverty, has a negative effect on the mental wellbeing of farmers in so-called low income countries.
The researchers believe, that the results can be transferred to not only Vietnam, but also other low income and middle income countries, where the population is very dependent on agricultural export. The study points toward the need for a more effective social safety net to protect local farmers against fluctuating prices on the global market.
According to Finn Tarp, the increase in socio-economic costs of mental illnesses is rightfully raising international concerns. He says, that this is the reason why it is important to examine the underlying reasons of mental illnesses and how to combat it effectively economically, politically and in regards to social efforts. Furthermore, mental illnesses are actually more prevalent in less wealthy countries, and 80 percent of the world’s depressive disorders occur in low income or middle income countries.
Farming coffee can be challenging, when prices are changing, because the trees grow for more than 50 years, and it is expensive to cut down the trees in order to produce other crops. This means, that the coffee farmers are not able to farm other crops, when the market value of coffee decreases.
Source: nyheder.ku.dk
