In reading Amarasinghe's article about water conservation in Vietnam made me realize the importance of fit when creating options for rebranding in many of these countries. For example, while the farmers are no achieving maximum yield--because having a water supply that large is not economically feasible--they can maximize what is available within their means. Even if it is counter intuitive, they can achieve higher yield by watering less. Furthermore, achieving maximum yield does not guarantee more profit. To have more yield means a greater supply, which means lower demand and lower prices.
It is important to think of sustainability as 3 pronged: economic, social, and environmental. It is neither environmentally wise nor economically wise to reach maximum yield. Also, multiple cogs must be working together in order to achieve results. If there was greater yield and greater quality without an increased demand--then the efforts of farmers are lost in the price of the coffee. One part of the puzzle, Amarasinghe did not explain was how to drive up demand--hopefully with a stronger aesthetic demand can increase It is like a egg or chicken situation--what came first, agricultural product quality or an attractive market for agricultural products?
Amarasinghe et al. (2015). Toward sustainable coffee production in Vietnam: More coffee with less water. Agricultural Systems. 136. 96-105.
Anonymous. (2015). Rainy days and milk cans; Saving water in Vietnam's coffee fields. Nestle. Retrieved from: http://www.nestle.com/media/newsandfeatures/saving-water-in-vietnam-coffee-fields
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