Camino in Brazil: visiting partner co-operatives of family farmers

To see Jennifer’s trip in pictures, visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/Caminoamigos.

From May 8-14, our CEO, Jennifer Williams, traveled to Brazil. As La Siembra is a member of the International Organization Cooperativas Sin Fronteras, she traveled to the Natal region in Northern Brazil to attend the annual general meeting (AGM). Since the planning and development stages of our new line of fruit juices, we have developed a relationship with the co-operative of family farmers named Coagrosol, located in the small town of Itapolis. While in Brazil for the AGM, Jennifer took the opportunity to visit Coagrosol. We interviewed Jennifer to share her trip with you. Enjoy!

Jennifer, what is the spoken language in Brazil?
Portuguese is the language in Brazil and unfortunately, my Portuguese is quite limited! It did however provide some interesting moments. I managed to communicate with my Spanish and the occasional French word here and there. Luckily, the general manager of Coagrosol is fluent in Spanish. He was present during meetings with the board of directors and family farmers which came in quite handy! The Co-operativas Sin Fronteras AGM was held primarily in Spanish, which was easy!

Why is the Cooperativas Sin Fronteras’ AGM an important meeting for La Siembra?
The AGM brings together over 30 co-operatives of family farmers from across Central and South America. It supports co-operatives to go beyond selling raw produce alone on the fair trade market. It encourages them to process their own goods, that is, to add value to their produce and sell finished goods in their local markets and among countries in Central and South America.

The AGM provides family farmer members as well as importer members, such as us, the forum to discuss challenges and opportunities within the fair trade system and to learn from one another.

I was fortunate to meet with existing and potential partner co-operatives of family farmers: CEPICAFE (Peru), APPTA and Coopcanera (Costa Rica), Ecocitrus, Coopercaju, Grande Sertao and Coopagrepa (Brazil).

When you visited our partner co-operative, Coagrosol, who are the family farmers you got to meet?
The first family I met was the Costa family of Villa Cajado, 15 minutes outside of Itapolis. Vicente and Ilde Costa have 16 hectares of organic and fair trade mango, orange and lime trees that they purchased and have “farmed” since 1970. Vicente and Ilde are aging, but he is still in great shape, walking up the side of the hill where his fruit trees grow without a hesitation. Though it doesn’t seem he is ready to retire soon, his son is slated to take over the family fruit business when his father can no longer do it. Ilde, who walks with a walker due to a hip replacement jokes that she can’t pick the mangos (the fruits are up pretty high) but she can still help with the harvest of the limes which are closer to the ground.

Vicente says that organic production of citrus fruit is very difficult; there is an insect that is currently infecting many of the oranges with a disease that infects not only the individual fruit but also the branches of the trees. There is presently no effective organic method to deal with this pest. This is his primary concern; if all of his trees become infected he loses his livelihood.

I also met with Antonio Carlos Costa who also lives about 20 minutes outside of Itapolis. He has 32 hectares of orange, lime and mango trees. Antonio grew up on the land that he now “farms” and has spent his whole life in the fruit groves.

What was the most remarkable part of your trip? Can you describe it?
I learned so much and there were so many insights from this trip... Family farmers within the Fairtrade International system are defined as farmers that do not hire permanent labour to work on their farms. While the size of land held by the family farmers I visited in Brazil was very large compared to many of the family farmers we work with in cocoa (average is closer to three hectares), the challenges are very much the same. Without fair trade, the juice industry (in particular citrus) is highly controlled by three large players who control the price paid for fruit in the market. This control leaves family farmers at the mercy of the industry which means that in many years, they are not able to break even on their produce. This is why fair trade is important; it ensures family farmers receive a minimum level of income associated with their efforts.

The big aha moment...
This moment for me was when I met with the Board of Directors of Coagrosol and they told me that increasingly, land is being converted to cane production from fruit production. One of the primary reasons for this conversion is the increased demand for cane for ethanol with gas and ethanol prices through the roof. The board is concerned about how this will impact their members moving forward as they feel the pressure to also convert to cane production. Cane production is easier than organic fruit production in that it is less time consuming while it generates a similar amount of money. My realization: We can’t eat ethanol! As big industry takes over more and more land, there is increased control over our food supply. This makes me highly concerned about food security for all of us. It sheds light on how international this problem is. The price of fair trade and organic food products incorporate the REAL cost of food: Family farmers are paid adequately, the earth, air and water are protected and our future food sources and health are thus protected. Buying fair trade and organic food is a definite way by which consumers can influence a positive impact at the very source of the problem.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with Camino fans?
Whenever I visit family farmers, I am always reminded of how hard it is to grow organic products, how much labour and love are involved. Since visiting family farmers in Southern countries, I try to take a moment to appreciate the effort of the people who harvested the ingredients in the great tasting food I can enjoy. TRY IT next time you open a Camino chocolate bar, a box of juice or any other of our products. Appreciating the greatness of the food we eat makes the joy of eating and the participation in the joyful food revolution so much more powerful.