Quick Links to Cooperating Certifiers
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We are currently working with Lotus Foods, our licensing partner from California, CEDAC, a Cambodian non-profit, and the Cambodian farmers of several organic rice cooperatives to launch an Indiegogo campaign for the farmers. The goal is to raise at least $10,000 to contribute to the purchase of a low-cost rice mill, which will enable them to at least double their income and retain the bran and husk for animal feed, fuel, and compost. The campaign should be up by mid-February, so please visit www.indiegogo.com and search for Cambodia or CEDAC and feel free to contribute if you deem it a worthy cause.
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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Keeping you abreast of developments in the sustainability world and especially FairTSA is the aim of this newsletter. One of the more interesting items we found lately is the UN Farming Report "Wake Up Before It Is Too Late" by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). You can download the report here. This report lays out the necessity of a shift toward more local small-scale farmers and food systems, a higher biodiversity, a reduction of chemical fertilizers and pesticide application, and use of sustainable agriculture practices.
It also makes a strong case for the change of global trade rules in order to support these ends, "which is unfortunately the opposite of what mega-trade deals like the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the U.S.-EU Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) are seeking to accomplish".
This is a remarkable turnaround. Ten years ago such a statement from the same source would have been unthinkable. Welcome to the club, UNCTAD.
Dr. Winfried Fuchshofen
Executive Director, FairTSA
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Farm workers and Rural Development- The Case of Villa Lobo
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In the previous version of our newsletter we shared the case of farmer cooperatives in Cambodia and of a farmer group in the Philippines that deliver product to a Community Development Partner who processes the bananas and coconuts and exports them.
In this issue, we would like to discuss a different case: that of Villa Lobo, a farm in the Dominican Republic owned by Biotropic SRL, a daughter company of Biotropic GmbH in Germany. Biotropic has invested a considerable amount of money to get the Milagros cooperative going, of which Villa Lobo was initially a member. Due to the requirements for Demeter certification (Villa Lobo is EU organic, NOP, Demeter and FairTSA certified), Villa Lobo split from the cooperative. In this case, all the benefits of Fair Trade go to the farm workers. Our mission is to support rural communities so that they become thriving, livable and economically viable entities where people have a life worth living and a future. Therefore, farm workers, often the poorest and socially most disadvantaged part of the rural population, are clearly part of our vision of Fair Trade.
Back to the workers of Villa Lobo: in preparation for certification, they set up the trade union "Asociacion de Trabajadores Finca Villa Lobo". In September of 2013 the farm was inspected and is now a certified producer. The trade union has developed its first community development project plan, which calls for the construction of 15 bathrooms with running hot and warm water, community work days for both waste removal and adequate disposal and for the reforestation of the river banks of the Yaque del Norte. In addition it has an alphabetized component for members of the community that aren't able to write Spanish. |
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Farm workers of Villa Lobo electing their representatives
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The President of the Farm workers union of Villa Lobo giving his first presentation
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FairTSA at New York University
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NY University: On November 7, Dr. Fuchshofen took part in a panel discussion on all things Fair Trade at the New York University. Together with 5 other panelists (Dan Pargee, From the Field Trading Company, Jenny Wagner, formerly of Fair Trade USA, Danielle Silber, Officer of Corporate Alliance, the International Rescue Committee, Danielle Sandars Cultural Programs Marketing Team Leader at Whole Foods Market, Joe Salvatore of Madecasse) presented their specific aspects of involvement with Fair Trade followed by a lively discussion about the value of Fair Trade, corporate responsibility, and the necessity of triple bottom line approaches for all companies. One of the outcomes of the discussion is that Sarah Leibowitz, Co-Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU, intends to establish a regular round-table for socially engaged enterprise in the New York City area, and we are excited to have been invited to this endeavor and will certainly support it.
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FairTSA in Costa Rica
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International Organic Inspectors Association, Costa Rica: The date of the presentation on Fair Trade and the Role of FairTSA in the context of the IOIA annual meeting has been set for March 21, 17:00 - 19:00 (5:00 - 7:00 pm). The presentation will be given in English and translated into Spanish.
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