In the documentary Black Gold, the story of Ethiopian coffee farmers struggling to get higher prices for their coffee beans is explained. Ethiopia is the largest coffee producer in Africa and accounts for 67% of Ethiopia's export earnings. With over 15 million people dependent on coffee cultivation and production for survival. During the film, the manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, Tadesse Meskela, talks about their fight for their rights. a higher salary. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Tadese's goal is to eliminate intermediaries in the coffee production chain because by then the green coffee will have traveled through several channels: processing, importing, roasting, packaging/distribution, retail. The farmer sees the smallest percentage of income in this process. Because Ethiopia relies so heavily on coffee, most citizens are born into coffee-growing families. and they have very little chance of escaping. They are forced to become coffee farmers and remain stuck in poverty. Coffee beans create a unique production economy, making the economy extremely dependent on Western companies and consumers. Compared to other countries where farmers receive government subsidies, Ethiopian coffee farmers do not. So slight price fluctuations will greatly affect local farmers. There are many different and interconnected factors that have created these unequal global trade relationships. Many of them have links to colonial and postcolonial relations. Through social, economic and political policies, Western nations have forced developing nations to depend on them for survival. In international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, developing nations are unable to make their voices and problems heard. The World Trade Organization sets the rules for global trade, but it is dominated by the largest and richest developed countries. These negotiations take place behind closed doors and the smaller delegations have lost. Consumer awareness of farmers' conditions is vital. While large multinationals and middlemen profit from coffee production, the farmers themselves get almost nothing. Consumers need to be aware and demand fair trade products. Fairtrade coffee beans are labeled and available in most grocery stores. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In this era of increasing globalization, it is important to be aware of how they are impacting other people's lives and how we are impacting the planet. When we go to Starbucks and buy that steaming cup of coffee, we don't see the human lives that were put into that cup. We don't see coffee bean farmers praying for good weather. We don't see women picking coffee beans for less than a dollar a day. We don't see their children going hungry. We only see the coffee in our cup and we are satisfied.