This study presents the existing conditions of upland coffee farming
regions in the Philippines. Using a multiple case study approach to
examine selected coffee growing municipalities in the Cordilllera and
Mindanao, the paper dissects the issues affecting the coffee industry
and their implications on the lives of the indigenous communities
that nurture the coffee, especially the women and elderly. The author
proffers that the future of the coffee industry depends on sustaining and
empowering the indigenous coffee growers, which in turn can also help
sustain the indigenous communities.