Nunez-Solis, MariaRatna, Nazmun N.Rosin, Christopher2019-05-082019-04https://hdl.handle.net/10182/10631In this paper, we explore how coffee micro-mills in Costa Rica have enabled women to gain agency in the national and global value chain for Tarrazu coffee. Micro-mills are family owned enterprises, where producer process their coffee and sell it directly to specialty markets. The coffee commodity chain is characterised as one that perpetuates low incomes for family producers and significant profits for commercial roasters around the world. As a commodity, coffee is associated with intensive productions systems and the relegation of women to traditional household roles. Responding to consistently low prices under this model, Tarrazu coffee households have embraced the innovation of family owned micro-mills and are learning to integrate into the incipient Relationship Coffee Model market. Model that promotes long and fair relationships between buyers and producers based in coffee quality. Our results – informed by the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index and ‘power to’, ‘power with’ and ‘power within’ framework – showed that women involved in micro-mills are more empowered in decision making at processing coffee stages and have greater opportunities to owned significant assets. Moreover, they have been pioneers in attending coffee public spaces dominated by man and taking roles which require skilled capabilities such as coffee quality control, coffee sells and barismo. Coffee micro-mills represent an innovative example of how women empowerment in agriculture should not only focus in access to primary production, but, value-adding activities can also enhance empowerment and contribute to various Sustainable Development Goals targets related to gender equality and inclusive economic growth.43-43 (1)enConference Contribution - published