FairTSA Newsletter: December 2022

A Word of Welcome

Hello Partners and Colleagues,

This year, New York State has been blessed with a beautiful fall and a mild winter thus far. While watching the Catskill Mountains change from valleys of green to shades of brown, our team has been working hard on updating our internal procedures in order to keep up with the ever-changing world. Our hearts go out to those of you who have seen the negative effects on your business due to the pandemic, the war on Ukraine, and other global tensions. We know the feeling of not meeting expectations due to things out of your control–it is disheartening to say the least. Nonetheless, taking this time of turbulence globally to look within and strengthen the core of our operations has been a great way to reignite our own passions for building an equitable food system. I am a firm believer in every event that takes place having a positive outcome. Something like having to originally postpone BIOFACH 2022 and then meeting four potential new partners at the rescheduled session is a win in my book. I hope you are all celebrating the smallest victories and have a wonderful holiday season.

In peace,

Sam

FairTSA Administrator

Supporting Fair Trade in the Countries of South:

The Case of Akshayakalpa in India

Traditionally the Fair Trade movement has focused on North-South trade relationships, which has meant that export products ranging from handicrafts to tropical fruit, coffee, and cacao have become the major Fair Trade certified products. All of this requires building export-import trade relationships, and the outreach the Fair Trade movement has thus far achieved and the marketing of certified products is largely happening within the countries of the North.

However, if we are serious about making Fair Trade a way of consuming consciously and promoting and ensuring a fairer life for small farmers and workers in the process, it should be obvious that there needs to be added emphasis in the countries of the South as well. FairTSA has made it a part of its mission to support this strategic idea wherever possible.

An exemplary case in point is Akshayakalpa Organic, a dairy producer of Karnataka in Southern India. Founded as a farmer-entrepreneurship initiative, the organization is focused on producing healthy and wholesome food using state-of-the-art technology while emphasizing farmers’ self-reliance. Among the many initiatives Akshayakalpa is committed to developing are special programs aimed at including women and young farmers in their portfolio of 600 associated farms.

Fun fact: India is the world’s largest dairy producer!

Akshayakalpa supports the farmers in improving food security and food variety by growing vegetables for the farmers themselves, while at the same time creating a surplus to sell commercially. This helps in expanding sources of income and fresh food options for their customers. Through practices such as crop rotation and integrating legumes in the rotation, as well as applying organic fertilizers, they improve soil health and crop yield. In addition, farmers have been trained in beekeeping and are now offering honey as a commercial product. Have a glimpse at this video to get a delightful taste of Akshayakalpa and their remarkable farmers.

Never ceasing to innovate, they have also created a program where the company invites customers from nearby cities to spend a night with the farming families. That way, people have the unique opportunity to gain experience about the life of the farmers. Initiatives to empower farmers with technological and academic resources in order to focus on economic growth and ecological sustainability have also begun. Akshayakalpa initiatives have inspired a movement of farmers from cities back to agriculture as a valued profession. Here’s to this wonderful beginning in India and especially our partners at Akshayakalpa investing in Fair Trade for its land and people!

Through annual project documentation and communicating the benefits of this project, FairTSA looks forward to supporting the growth of Fair Trade within India. As Manjappa Honnappanavar, Operations Manager at Akshayakalpa, says: “Together with FairTSA we are part of an ongoing journey to create sustainable food and farming not only as an export but to enrich the lives of local people where our food is grown.”

Read More About Akshayakalpa Organic

The Fair Trade Situation in France

As many of you know, France is currently the only country with a Fair Trade law. Under this law, it was first announced in January of 2022 that by January 1, 2023, all organizations that certify products as “Fair Trade” must be authorized by the French Government. However, at this writing in early December 2022 no process or requirements for such authorization has been published. This means that currently no Fair Trade program has governmental approval. We remain in close contact with Commerce Equitable France, the French Fair Trade organization regarding this critical topic. Naturally, we will apply for the government’s authorization as soon as the requirements become available. After thorough review of the French law, we are extremely confident that we will be approved in due course. If you have questions in this matter, please contact Dr. Winfried Fuchshofen at [email protected].

Debuting the FairTSA Producer Map

Have you gotten a chance to check out our new FairTSA Producer Map? View it directly here or see it featured on our website at fairtsa.org. This exciting new feature complements our existing Products & Producer Database as a way to navigate the wide variety of producers and products certified as part of our innovative Fair Trade program. Whether you are a licensee, trader, or consumer, it has never been easier to locate any of our FairTSA products worldwide.

Gender and Agriculture

Women are crucial to helping their families and communities achieve food and nutrition security, generating income, and enhancing general well-being and rural livelihoods. They support local and international economies by strengthening agricultural and rural businesses. However, rural women and girls around the world are constantly constrained by structural barriers that prohibit them from properly exercising their human rights and stifle their efforts to better their own lives as well as the lives of those around them.

FairTSA has been taking a closer look at the relationship between Gender and Agriculture in a recent social media campaign. Below is a selection of slides highlighting different aspects of this important topic. Check out the full series on our Facebook (currently only in English).

The FairTSA Standard takes into account the position women should be given at the table while making agricultural advancements. We are proud to do what we can to shift attitudes on women in agriculture globally.