As part of Fair Trade USA’s Fair Trade for All initiative, these new pilot programmes will provide 800 small farmers in Costa Rica and Colombia access to the many opportunities and benefits of Fair Trade, including: fair prices, safe working conditions, direct relationships with buyers, and the ability to earn community development premiums to empower and improve their communities.
These farmers were previously unable to achieve Fair Trade certification because they are not organised into formal cooperatives.
In the coffee sector, Fair Trade has historically been reserved for small farmers organised into co-ops, while in other categories like rice and cotton, independent small farmers can be part of Fair Trade.
To eliminate this inconsistency, Fair Trade USA is now piloting the Independent Smallholders Standard (ISS), which creates a path for small farmers to choose their own organisational form, and over time, organise themselves into more advanced structures such as cooperatives.
The ISS was developed in accordance with several existing standards and their compliance criteria, and integrates feedback from a diverse array of stakeholders solicited during a three month public review period.
According to the Hanns R Neumann Stiftung Foundation, 80% of the world’s coffee is produced by small-scale farmers, but only a fraction of them were previously eligible for Fair Trade.
Miguel Zamora, Fair Trade USA’s director of coffee innovation, said: “We believe that all farmers and workers deserve access to the benefits and opportunities of Fair Trade.
“The inclusion of San Ramón and Nariño is the first step in a long journey to doubling the impact of Fair Trade for farming families across the globe.”
Source: Fair Trade USA
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