Small-scale farmer coffee co-operative in solidarity with landless farm workers

[Omaha Steve]

http://laborrightsblog.typepad.com/international_labor_right/2008/02/small-scale-far.html#more

By Phyllis Robinson, Equal Exchange

I would like to share a highly inspiring story from Nicaragua of solidarity between unemployed farm workers and a small-scale farmer co-operative that Equal Exchange has partnered with for over 15 years.



In the early 1990’s when the coffee crisis was at its most severe, conventional coffee companies were paying farmers as little as 45 cents/pound. With costs of production about twice that high, plantations throughout Nicaragua were going bankrupt. Landowners abandoned their estates and those who suffered the worst were the scores of thousands of coffee pickers who had nowhere to work and no way to feed their families.

Malnutrition throughout the country was high and 14 children died in 2002, literally from lack of food. The Farmworkers Association (ATC) organized a march from Matagalpa 100 miles to the capital, Managua, to demand a solution from the government. For several long weeks, the workers marched under the hot sun, camping along the road and occasionally stopping traffic on the Pan American highway. They refused to quit until the government agreed to negotiate solutions to their demands for food, work, credit and land.

Cecocafen, Equal Exchange’s long-term co-operative trading partner faced difficulties as well but was in a slightly better position to navigate the crisis: although very poor, each of the 1900 members had 3 – 5 acres of land, were joint owners of their business, and as a Fair Trade co-operative, were being paid a $1.41/pound for organic coffee for the 30% of their coffee that they managed to sell to the Fair Trade market.

During the long march to Managua, Cecocafen supported the unemployed farm workers with food, shelter and logistics. Seen as protagonists in the campesino movement, Cecocafen was invited to participate in the negotiations with the government. Eventually agreements were reached, called the Las Tunas Accords, for short-term jobs and food for the workers and a longer-term strategy for credit and land.

A solidarity organization in Europe agreed to donate money for the creation of a revolving loan fund for the workers to borrow low-interest money to buy land. Cecocafen was seen as the only organization in Matagalpa with the credibility and proven track to administer this fund. So Cecocafen agreed to serve as fiscal agent and administrator to help the farmworkers purchase their own land. Once they had titles, they would form co-operatives and with Cecocafen’s help, begin to access the Fair Trade market – the only hope for coffee farmers in Nicaragua.


Marta and I use only fair trade coffee. We get ours here: http://www.organiccoffeecompany.com/shop/customer/occ_home.php

Another fair trade coffee comapny: http://cafecanopy.com/


http://www.care2.com/dailyaction/primary.html?da%5Btoday%5D=2006-09-21

Coffee Politics: Coffee Issues and Social Aspects

This section of coffeeresearch.org is dedicated to the social issues of coffee. Because these coffee issues are controversial and politically based, "Coffee Politics" is the name chosen for this section. This name reflects the current disparity concerning these matters. Most people agree that sustainability, fair trade coffee, organic shade grown coffee, and bird friendly coffee is important. However, the method to bring these social policy issues to fruition has been marked by problems with coffee quality and cost issues in the coffee industry. This section discusses the relationship between coffee and society. It considers the various international and environmental issues concerning coffee policy and it mentions the social policy changes that affect the coffee industry.

Links below can be found here: http://www.care2.com/dailyaction/primary.html?da%5Btoday%5D=2006-09-21

Main Subsections in Politics

Sustainable coffee

Bird-safe Coffee

Organic Coffee

Fair Trade Coffee

[Peace Patriot]

1. Thanksgiving Coffee also has fair trade, songbird and organic coffees...

http://www.thanksgivingcoffee.com/

Early on--way back in the '80s--they defied the Reagan boycott of Nicaragua, and began importing Nicaraguan beans from fair trade coops. They are a pioneer in this great work.

Thanks for this post! Social conscience businesses are a key component of achieving social justice and saving the planet. We should be immensely grateful to these small businesses who have taken such risks to do what is right. We coffee lovers--and coffee gift-givers--owe them our full support! They also make the best coffee in the world!