The Indirect Effects of Adaptation: Pathways for Vulnerability Redistribution in the Colombian Coffee Sector

The research investigates the risk of 'vulnerability redistribution,' where adaptation measures in one location inadvertently increase vulnerability elsewhere. The authors develop a framework based on the 'sustainable livelihoods' approach, focusing on five asset types (natural, physical, social, financial, and human) to identify 'risk transfer pathways.' Applying this to Colombia's coffee sector, the study identifies three primary pathways for indirect effects: global economic competition affecting price premiums, donor-funded projects diverting national institutional resources, and infrastructure improvements reducing demand for manual labour.

• The authors argue that in a globalized world, adaptation interventions often create indirect effects—outcomes geographically or socially distinct from intended beneficiaries—which may redistribute rather than reduce overall vulnerability.
• The proposed analytical framework uses the 'sustainable livelihoods' approach to identify risk transfer pathways by analyzing disturbances to five key asset types: natural, physical, social, financial, and human assets.
• In the Colombian coffee sector, economic competition in the global market acts as a pathway for vulnerability redistribution; specifically, increased production of certified coffees (e.g., organic) in low-cost countries like Peru or Honduras can reduce the premiums Colombian growers receive.
• Large-scale production changes in countries like Brazil and Vietnam can influence the base market price of coffee, though the authors note that most donor-supported local interventions are not large enough to affect this base price.
• International donor interventions in Colombia have been found to inadvertently redistribute vulnerability by diverting the resources and priorities of the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC) away from essential extension services.
• Private initiatives to improve local infrastructure, such as central processing mills, can create negative indirect effects by reducing the demand for coffee pickers, with women being the most affected group.
• Climate change adaptation strategies that shift support away from 'marginal' low-altitude coffee-growing areas may increase the vulnerability of the farmers most at risk from climate change.
• The study identifies a link between coffee market failures and broader social instability in Colombia, where diminished income can increase recruitment into guerrilla activity or the cultivation of illicit crops like coca.

APA

Atteridge, A., & Remling, E. (2013). The Indirect Effects of Adaptation: Pathways for Vulnerability Redistribution in the Colombian Coffee Sector. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-WP-2013-10-Colombia-coffee-indirect-adaptation-impacts.pdf

Chicago

Atteridge, Aaron, and Elise Remling. The Indirect Effects of Adaptation: Pathways for Vulnerability Redistribution in the Colombian Coffee Sector. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2013. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-WP-2013-10-Colombia-coffee-indirect-adaptation-impacts.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Atteridge |first1=Aaron |last2=Remling |first2=Elise |title=The Indirect Effects of Adaptation: Pathways for Vulnerability Redistribution in the Colombian Coffee Sector |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=December 2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-WP-2013-10-Colombia-coffee-indirect-adaptation-impacts.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{atteridge2013indirect, author = {Atteridge, Aaron and Remling, Elise}, title = {{The Indirect Effects of Adaptation: Pathways for Vulnerability Redistribution in the Colombian Coffee Sector}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-WP-2013-10-Colombia-coffee-indirect-adaptation-impacts.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }