Abstract
Using long-term participatory observation and 25 in-depth interview samples, this study focuses on the practice of young coffee farmers who have returned to rural areas from cities in southeast China. It focuses on how the booming specialty coffee industry and social transformation in china have affected social evaluation mechanisms and agricultural culture in rural area.This region began cultivating coffee in the 1990s primarily for export, attracting major corporations such as Nestlé and Starbucks. These companies purchased large quantities of local beans for global distribution, subjecting local prices to international market forces and exposing farmers to significant financial uncertainties. Unlike their predecessors, today’s young entrepreneurs are opening cafes, homestays, and profitable plantations. Embracing post-materialist values and leveraging government policies, they invest capital and technology to scale their operations, developing high cultural capital into a business strategy that emphasizes cultural skills and utilizes social media to build a diverse, high-value operational system. In this way, being Yunnan coffee cultivators has transformed from a mere vocation into a distinctive identity. As farming sheds its austere and isolated image, new coffee farmers signify a shift away from rigid social evaluation mechanisms and meaningless competition, facilitating a bidirectional flow of people and values between urban and rural areas.
Presenters
Heyi XieStudent, Sociology, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Agricultural Transformation in Developing Countries, Culture Sociology, Coffee
