interrupcion* Blog

Fair Trade Premiums

During 2010 we continued to generate significant resources and to facilitate worker social & community initiatives through the allocation of fair trade premiums.

We have found a great opportunity to bring information, know-how, best practices, and technology to multiple producer groups. Growing producer involvement has increased efficiency and economies of scale creating better opportunities to maximize social and environmental impact.

Research and work have revealed that the primary needs of producers and workers are the following:

1. Infrastructure
   1. Improvements in the social and environmental impact of producer operations
   2. Improvements in environmental conditions for workers
2. Health
   1. Need for access to affordable medicine
   2. Need for better health insurance and services
   3. Need for first aid equipment in emergency rooms that depend on state financing
3. Education
   1. Need for better access to basic and higher education
   2. Need for materials, supplies, and resources in local schools
   3. Need for complementary schooling to build capacity
4. Community service
   1. Need for investments to solve specific community problems
   2. Need for investments for school infrastructure
   3. Need for investments in civil services for communities

These needs come directly from the statements and participation of the workers and producers. These concerns are consistent with the economic, social and environmental issued that Argentina faces as a country.

Investments provide producers and workers with economic benefits and interrupcion seeks to provide social and environmental solutions that can be easily replicated, easy to understand, and guarantee honesty in the management of funds.

The job of interrupcion is not to interfere with and take control over the decisions of workers and producers, but to facilitate and in some cases carry out those decisions. Many times those who make the decisions do not have the knowledge or the time to perform the necessary steps for the execution of the projects. We work to empower those members so that in the future they can make the decisions and carry out the corresponding tasks themselves.

The following table demonstrates the accomplishments of the individual groups in making decisions for investments of their premiums

Committee of Workers from Berries del Aconquija S.

Producer Information

The Committee of workers from Berries del Aconquiha S.A are committed to the communities in which they are involved. With great enthusiasm, which is worth noting, they decided to use their funds to provide new computers for families of workers and other families in the community of Soldado Maldonando.

This investment has been divided into two stages due to the high cost of the necessary computers. The workers have decided to provide one computer per family in the community of Soldado Maldonado. With investment of the 2010 premiums, the objective is near 100% completion, with only two computers missing. There was mutual benefit in that each family agreed to install the internet and take computer courses.

The following table shows a detailed summary of the 2010 fair trade premium investments:

2. Committee of Workers Berries Del Noa 2005 S.A

Producer Information

The workers of Berries del Noa 2005 are committed to fair trade and the development of unity within their group. We are proud to point out the motivation they have manifested in being able to carry out their projects.

The group has acknowledged the importance of education and awareness. Thus, they have found that computers are a necessary tool to provide them with the ability to flourish.

The following table shows a detailed summary of the 2010 fair trade premium investments for Berries del Noa 2005:

3. Comité de Trabajadores de Berries del NOA 2007 S.A.

The committee of workers of Berires del Noa 2007 has been created recently as a result of a split between the committee of Berries del Noa 2005 and 2007. The high level of commitment is evident in that the division was based on the fact that they could not come down to one decision regarding their needs. According to what has been discussed, they have decided to invest their 2010 fair trade premiums in two completely different ways:

-       Materials for the construction of houses for 21 families

-       Jackets and shoes for work

The materials will be provided for permanent and temporary workers.

The following table shows a detailed summary of the 2010 fair trade premium investments for Berries del Noa 2007:

In the three cases, the workers have demonstrated, as in the previous season, their interest in the creation of a factory to fabricate blocks and/or a facility in which to make bread.

In the first case, the blocks would be used for the construction of houses and the community at minimal costs.

The second objective would provide easy and inexpensive access to food, a basic necessity.

Both projects are in discussion, and we are working actively on assisting them in order to develop these projects.

4. Committee of workers de Baldones S.A

The fair trade committee is made up of all permanent workers of the field. It is note- worthy that the current workers have belonged to the same harvest team for several  years. In Baldones the harvest personnel have always been from the Province of Missions.

Unlike the previous year where the fair trade premiums were very low due to problems with weather, this year the premiums have allowed for investments in matters that are very significant. They have decided to focus on two options.

One option is to invest the funds in the renovation of dilapidated houses.

The other option is to invest the premiums in kitchen supplies, clothes, and blankets for the temporary personnel that come during the harvest.

The following table shows a detailed summary of the 2010 fair trade premium investments for Baldones S.A.:

5. Committee Of Workers of Berries Premium S.A.

Berries Premium is a new establishment that opted for fair trade in 2010. The committee is led by the one permanent worker and his wife, who also forms part of the temporary worker-force.

Thus there have been discussions for investment in a health fund that will benefit all workers in the establishment.

This health fund does not require any investment aside from the social premium capital that is assigned to it. Nearly all of the funds will be able to be kept on reserve for the needs of workers as they arise.

6. Committee of Workers of the San Jose Field

The San Jose field, also incorporated in the fair trade program in 2010, is situated near the Tala River in which all of the temporary and permanent personnel reside.  The person then in charge of the plantation solicited a leave of absence because there was a possibility that he would be temporarily elected as the Municipal of Rio Tala. This situation brought awareness to the issues and needs of the community as nearly 30 people attended the various meetings of his campaign; thus, the community was organized into 6 groups of a few people in order for more decisions to be made more efficiently.

Due to the numerous transportation issues of the community, the workers have decided to invest their social premiums in 32 bicycles; this should provide them with an easier way to commute to work and to access their community.

7. Committee of Workers of Telet S.A.

Telet S.A. is another establishment that opted to participate in fair trade in 2010.  The committee is currently comprised of temporary workers, those who have been present for the past several months. In this case, the three are family members. They decided that it was better to wait until both the temporary local workers and the temporary harvest personnel were present before making the final decision related to the allocation.

The primary option under consideration is to to invest in a health fund in order to have access to affordable medicine.

This health fund requires no administration investment thus nearly all of the funds can be kept on reserve.

ARTICLE: Good for you?  Choose veggies that are pesticide-free

Buffalo News, June 14th, 2010, By Charity Vogel / News Staff Reporter

If you’ve ever sliced a fruit or mashed a vegetable for a growing kid, you’ve no doubt had this thought:

This food is good for this child.

But is that really true?

To be sure, fruits and vegetables are loaded with nutrients that children need to develop in muscle, bone and brain: vitamins, calcium, minerals.

But a new analysis of government health data shows that many American children are also consuming eye-opening amounts of pesticides along with their healthy servings of produce — and that there is a link between pesticide residue in kids’ bodies and the incidence of attention-deficit disorder.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics last month, showed that 94 percent of American kids had detectable levels of pesticide residue in their urine.

Higher levels of pesticide residue in children’s bodies were linked with a greater chance in children of having ADHD, according to the study.

ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is becoming more common among children, and involves the inability to focus for any length of time, hyperactive behavior and impulsivity. It can cause children to have trouble learning in school.

In Western New York, where fresh produce fills grocery stores and farm markets from this time of year until the fall, some observers are worried that local kids are consuming too much pesticide matter on their food — as well as in water, and breathing it in the air or walking across it on sprayed lawns.

“When you spray pesticides, you watch the bugs shake all over the place — and then die,” said Kathleen Frank. “It works on their nervous system. We’ve seen our own children having a lot of emotional problems, a lot of nervous problems.”

Frank, produce manager at Feel Rite Fresh Markets on Maple Road in Amherst, stocks the shelves in her store with nothing but organic produce. That means the soil in which the food was grown has no pesticides in it, and the produce itself was grown without pesticide application.

Frank said she knows from her own experience that eating a “cleaner diet” can make you feel better, and she strongly advocates organic produce to those she meets.

It’s not that much more expensive, she said, especially for apples and bananas — foods that children love and typically want to eat.

“[Your food] doesn’t have to have all those pesticides. It doesn’t have to have all that garbage on it,” she said. “Maybe don’t buy those Doritos — you are what you eat.”

At Wegmans, nutritionist Theresa Amborski said that many supermarkets are now offering organic options in most sections of the market, allowing families to pick and choose what they want to buy from those products.

“You can get organic dairy, breads, meats and produce,” stated Amborski, in an e-mail, “and I’m even seeing regular boxed grocery items start to reflect the trend.”

Amborski recommends that consumers educate themselves on organic produce and labeling. Wegmans has a “Shopping for Organics” page on its Web site, www.wegmans.com, with information on terminology and facts about organic products.

And, Amborski advises shoppers to review the “Dirty Dozen” guide published by the Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C., which highlights the types of produce most likely to be contaminated by pesticides, as well as a “Clean 15″ of foods likely to be lowest in pesticide residue.

Those guides are available at: www.ewg.org.

At Feel Rite, Frank recommended that consumers wash all produce items whether they are organic or not — fruits and vegetables, with skin and without — thoroughly before using, with a special produce wash or with regular soap.

Even a few small changes in choices, from regular to organic goods, can start the shift in people’s thinking and get them feeling better and healthier, Frank said.

“It’s a thinking process,” she said. “It’s an education process.”

Kathleen Frank, produce manager at Feel-Rite Fresh Market on Maple Road in Amherst, says her store stocks only organic produce.

Food prices to rise by up to 40% over next decade, UN report warns
Growing demand from emerging markets and for biofuel production will send prices soaring, according to the OECD and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Katie Allen
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 15 June 2010 13.02 BST

Food prices are set to rise as much as 40% over the coming decade amid growing demand from emerging markets and for biofuel production, according to a United Nations report today which warns of rising hunger and food insecurity.

Farm commodity prices have fallen from their record peaks of two years ago but are set to pick up again and are unlikely to drop back to their average levels of the past decade, according to the annual joint report from Paris-based thinktank the OECD and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The forecasts are for wheat and coarse grain prices over the next 10 years to be between 15% and 40% higher in real terms, once adjusted for inflation, than their average levels during the 1997-2006 period, the decade before the price spike of 2007-08. Real prices for vegetable oils are expected to be more than 40% higher and dairy prices are projected to be between 16-45% higher. But rises in livestock prices are expected to be less marked, although world demand for meat is climbing faster than for other farm commodities on the back of rising wealth for some sections of the population in emerging economies.

Although the report sees production increasing to meet demand, it warns that recent price spikes and the economic crisis have contributed to a rise in hunger and food insecurity. About 1 billion people are now estimated to be undernourished, it said.

Fairtrade campaigners said the predictions of sharply rising prices provided a “stark warning” to international policymakers.

“Investment to encourage the 1 billion people whose livelihoods rely on smallholder agriculture is vital. Not only will this increase yields but will go a long way to increase prosperity in poverty stricken regions,” said Barbara Crowther, director of communications at the Fairtrade Foundation.

“At the same time, the promise of increased agriculture commodity prices could spark a new surge in land grabbing by sovereign wealth funds and other powerful investors which risks marginalising further rural communities who must be included in solutions to secure and maintain food supplies.”

The report says that agricultural production and productivity must be stepped up and it argues for a well-functioning trading system to ensure fair competition and that surplus food is getting to where it is needed.

It also painted a growing role for developing countries in both boosting demand and production. Brazil is by far the fastest growing agricultural producer, with output expected to rise by more than 40% in the next decade and production growth is also expected to be well above 20% in China, India, Russia and Ukraine.

“The role of developing countries in international markets is growing quickly, and as their impact grows, their policies also have an increasing bearing on conditions in global markets,” said FAO director-general Jacques Diouf.

“This makes their role and contribution to global policy issues critical. Policy discussions must be global in scope and we need to improve the framework for such exchange of views.”

Another factor driving up food prices is the controversial biofuels industry. The report predicts that continued expansion of biofuel output – often to meet government targets – will create additional demand for wheat, coarse grains, vegetable oils and sugar.

Somalis protest over high food prices during the spike of 2008. Photograph: Abdurashid Abikar/Getty Images

www.foodforethought.net

Editor’s Note: The National Indigenous Campesino Movement of Argentina is in a desperate fight against an impoverishing agricultural system. Monoculture production, especially of soy has had a profound effect on farmers. Land consolidation has forced thousands of farmers off the land. Violence against campesinos is happening all too often. Mechanized production has resulted in high levels of unemployment. And the predominance of soy is causing a shift of production away from traditional products that feed people. Via Campesina proposes an alternative to this damaging form of industrial agriculture, rooted in food sovereignty.

Written by Marie Trigona
Thursday, 29 October 2009

Worldwide, industrial mono-culture farming has displaced traditional food production and farmers, wreaking havoc on food prices and food sovereignty. This is particularly true for the global south, where land has been concentrated for crops destined for biodiesel and animal feed. In response, peasants and small farmers organized actions in more than 53 countries on October 15 for International Food Day as an initiative of Via Campesina, one of the largest independent social movement organizations, representing nearly 150 million people globally.

The National Indigenous Campesino Movement of Argentina joined the protests taking place on around the world by organizing a march in Buenos Aires for International Food Day. Argentina has often been described as South America’s bread basket because it once produced grain and beef for much of the region. But with the transgenetic soy boom the nation has shifted to a mono culture production for export, displacing traditional food production and farmers.

Hundreds of campesinos marked the day with protests against this agricultural model outside of Argentina’s Department of Agriculture. “For the government, the countryside [is made up of] the landholding organizations and the agro-businesses, we practically don’t exist,” says Javier from the campesino movement in Cordoba, an organization that includes more than 1,500 families who have depended on traditional agriculture for generations. “We are also part of the countryside. We are the ones who live on the land and protect the land. We want to continue to live on our land, for future generations.”

Evicted Farmers

According to Argentina’s 2008 agricultural census, more than 60,000 farms shut down between 2002 and 2008, while the average size of farms increased from 421 to 538 hectares. The shift to soy has replaced cultivation of many grains and vegetables and even the country’s beef production. Researcher at the nation’s social research institute CONICET, Tamara Peremulter outlines the affects of monoculture soy on food production. “Soy historically hasn’t been grown in Argentina. Soy was brought in during the 1960’s during the Green Revolution. Transgenetic soy has been brought to lands where before cultivation wouldn’t have been possible. The low production cost of soy helped this process. Soy has replaced other crops, invading areas that were historically for cattle grazing and dairy production. Soy has also invaded indigenous and traditional farming communities. This model also implies deforestation and loss of biodiversity”

Land access and disputes over land titles has become one of the central issues for traditional farmers being replaced by machinery and high tech mono-culture farms. The National Indigenous Campesino Movement of Argentina (MNCI) reports that 82 percent of farmers live off of 13 percent of the nation’s land used for agriculture, while 4 percent of large land holders or “growing pools” financial investors in the agro industry own more than 65 percent. The disparities in land titles have lead to violent evictions.

On October 12, 2009 a day on which indigenous communities commemorate the genocide of their people following Christopher Columbus’s arrival in 1492, an indigenous farmer, Javier Chacoba was murdered during a protest against the forced eviction of indigenous people off of lands. The 68-old farmer died of a gun shot wound to the abdomen by Dario Amín, a landowner. Members of the Chuschagasta community had been camping along a provincial highway bordering the lands to demand land recognition for the Chuschagasta when Amín and two ex-police officers showed up at the protest. “On the day commemorating 519 years of genocide in Latin America, we suffered the loss of our brother (Javeri Chacobar) for simply standing up for his rights, defending his dignity and land that belongs to him,” said Margarita Mamaní, member of the Chuschagasta community.

“They have been evicting farmers and members of the indigenous community from lands. People have been killed in the evictions,” says Ricardo Ortiz is an indigenous representative from The Campesino Movement of Santiago del Estero (MOCASE). More than 9,000 families make up MOCASE, a grassroots movement of traditional farmers and indigenous groups. “Now they killed a farmer in Tucuman, a brother. He was in a march to demand their rights and the man who bought the lands took out a gun and shot the man and injured four more. The government has been blind, deaf and mute; this is why we are worried.”

Police Repression

In 2008 alone more than 35 campesinos were arrested and arrest warrants issued for 95 more, in Mendoza, Formosa and Santiago del Estero, in communities rejecting the agro-industrial model. Santiago del Estero is a province once rich in forest land and untouched by soy. This changed as the boom in soy prices has made these remote areas now profitable for soy growers.

This is a “witch hunt,” as the MNCI has described the situation for campesinos resisting land evictions, and defending traditional cultures. Local police enforce eviction orders and meet any resistance with police force, clubs and many times bullets. “Campesinos resisting are suffering a violent political persecution. We demand that detained farmers are released, that officials, judges and police that violate human rights be investigated and that evictions are stopped,” declared the MNCI.

Agro Industry Creates Joblessness

The shift to mono-culture crops and land concentration has stretched into cultivations traditionally employing small farmers such as vineyards. Argentina’s wine industry has boomed in recent years, with the total value of Argentine wine in the US increasing from 75 million to 146 million dollars between 2006 and 2008. Mendoza is Argentina’s largest wine producing region, with a micro climate perfect for the Malbec grape. Access to water is a major issue for rural and indigenous communities there.

Marcelo Quieroga from the Union of Rural Workers (UST) says that much of the vineyards in Mendoza have been monopolized by French and Swiss investors, who buy land and mechanize wine production. “They are using machinery to replace workers. By producing high quality wines for export the wineries have essentially monopolized the production. Who suffers is the rural worker who can’t find work, and ends up living in a shanty town due to rural unemployment.”

Rural displacement results in poverty and joblessness; the poorest provinces in Argentina have ironically hosted a boom in soy industry, with soy fields replacing forests and even cattle grazing land. The MNCI has reported that the soy model creates only one job post for every 500 hectares cultivated. Meanwhile, traditional agriculture provides 35 job posts for every 100 hectares cultivated, while also guaranteeing food diversity, production or local markets and sustainable use of resources such as land and water.

Food Sovereignty

Industrialization and the globalization of Argentina’s food system has led to spikes in food prices, and increasing rural poverty. This has become a global trend. “A billion people are without food because industrial monocultures robbed them of their livelihoods in agriculture and their food entitlements,” writes Vandana Shiva in the Nation Magazine.

Via Campesina does have an alternative to the agro industry, pushing for governments to promote local, traditional farming which provides communities with real food. “It’s time for all civil society to recognize the gravity of this situation, global capital should not control our food, nor make decisions behind closed doors. The future of our food, the protection of our resources and especially our seeds, are the right of the people,” said Dena Hoff, coordinator of Via Campesina North America.

Food sovereignty as defined by Via Campesina is the peoples’ right to define their agricultural and food policy, and the right of farmers and peasants to produce food. Worldwide communities are seeking an alternative to a model controlled by Cargill, Monsanto, General Foods, Nestle and Kraft foods. Starved by industrialization and concentration, citizens are now hungry for traditional production methods and diversity in the food system.

***
Marie Trigona is a writer, radio producer and filmmaker based in Argentina. She can be reached at mtrigona@msn.com
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WHO WE ARE: Foodforethought is an information service that encourages dialogue and exploration of innovative trends in the global food system. The service is managed by James Kuhns of MetroAg Alliance for Urban Agriculture in collaboration with Amber McNair of the University of Toronto in association with the Centre for Urban Health Initiatives (CUHI), and Wayne Roberts of the Toronto Food Policy Council. To subscribe, please contact editor@foodforethought.net.
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On Thursday and Friday groups from our partner farm Entrerios traveled to the hard-hit regions of Chanco and Mocha Island to deliver much-needed relief supplies. Below Jorge Bawlitza, managing director of our partner farm Entrerios, continues his account of the earthquake’s aftermath and describes the relief efforts in Chanco, and Roland Heis gives an account of the mission to Mocha Island.

Jorge Bawlitza

Many things have happened the last days that I want to share with you. Our farm and packaging facilities is working 100% with more than 250 people, coming together with their children and family. We have activities organized for the children. And we prepare food for all the families. At the same moment, a technical team has been visiting the houses of our workers. Our farm Agro Entre Rios have ordened 3 emergency houses to give a roof for our workers that have lost it and are repairing the damages of the houses. Our farm Bluestar is repairing the damages of their houses and have already started the construction of 3 emergency houses for their workers. In our farm in Cauquenes, we are evaluating the damages of our workers, and food support has already begun.

As we knew that some towns very near from Linares have been destroyed completely and that only very few help has arrived there, we organized an expedition to bring them food. Thanks to the financial support of one of our client, Southern Specialties, Pompano Beach, we have bought 1000kg of food to bring to one of this little town, Chanco. Yesterday, we could bring oil, pasta, sugar, apples and tomatoes to more than 90 families (from 4 to 20 people each family.

Thanks to 2 local social workers from the municipality of Chanco, we could have a real impact in which we are sure that the food arrives directly at the heart of these families. Without their help, it would have been difficult for us to give equitibly and to the ones that more requires it. Marcia Cristoso Perez, one of the social workers, fortunately did not have too much destruction in her house and is part of the 10% of the houses that didn´t collapsed, but was still without electricity and water. Elizabeth Munoz Munoz, the other social worker was not so lucky, she lost for completely her house and was now living together with 3 other families in a bus that someone provides them.

Chanco is a typical and traditional town from the time of Spanish conquest, with a history of more than 450 years. The people we met yesterday are from middle low social class, with a face full of dignity, traditional families from the deep old Chile. In this town and region, there is no bank, nor cash machine working, so nobody has any money. There is no minimarkets or supermarkets, so the few ones that have money cannot use it. There is no fuel and most of the cars are destroyed. So our small help that we can do is giving a breath for a few days until governmental support arrives and people reorganizes themselves. Gave 2 kg of sugar, 2 kg of pasta, 1 lt of oil, tomatoes and apples with love and care, looking in their eyes can help the spirit to return. The same spirit that motivates our friends from Southern Specialties from Pompano Beach, Florida. And with all our heart and in the name of all the people we met yesterday, we thanks them so much. I know that all Southern Specialties team will be very happy to know they could help us to bring food and love to 90 families. I´m sure that maybe they didn´t imagine the rapidity and the efficacy in generating happiness with their resources.

I know that many of you have done donation to international help for Chile and all our community thanks you very much for it. Also I want to tell you that we share all what we live with our workers, and they support us with their heart, job and extra-time that will be concretised in help to our community.

Jorge Bawlitza, EntreriosFarms

Saturday, March 6th

Here at our farm in the south of Chile (Villarrica area) the situation is improving. When we see all the destruction and pain in Central area, we feel fortunate. Only one of our workers has serious damage at his home and we are already rebuilding it…so we are putting all our efforts to bring help to more remote areas where government hasn’t reached yet.

Yesterday we organized 3 small Cessnas (airplanes) and brought food and other essentials to a small island called” Isla Mocha” only 10 miles away from the epicenter. A huge tsunami wave took away more than half of the small village. But these were fishermen so they knew what to do and “only” two lives where lost! In the name of this small community (400 inhabitants) thanks to all of you for your great support!

Roland Heise, Entreriosfarms

more photos here

Jorge Bawlitza, managing director of Entreríos Farmsa partnership of four family growers that produce our fair trade blueberriesgives his moving account of the aftermath of Saturday´s earthquake. Jorge lives in Linares, only 70km from the quake’s epicentre.

Saturday, 27 February

At about 3.30am we felt it the fifth-biggest catastrophe in recorded history. Millions of people in Chile’s Central Valley woke up and thought only of the most important things to them their children, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. For two minutes, millions of people were transformed into one heart. A few minutes after the big tremor came the silence, and new thoughts entered our minds: our extended family, the neighbors, friends. We only had a few moments to cry, and then it was time to assess the house.

Without electricity and without water, we separate what is disorder from what is structural damage. Fortunately, my house is still standing. My wife, a doctor, finds a first-aid kit, and is ready to take necessary action. We go to see our workers and their families who live on the farm; about 30 people in total. Everybody is alive and without injury. The women stay together to take care of the kids. The men, we enter the farmhouses and the cooling and packing facilities to evaluate the damage. Everything is OK a tribute to my father, an engineer, who built all the houses on the farm, the coldstore and the packhouse.

There is no water, no electricity, no telephone and no radio. It is impossible to call anyone, and then we realise that we are alone. Everybody is alone. There is silence in the air. We know something big has happened, but how big? And where? I take the hand of my wife and my daughter and I thank God. I ask myself what mission he has for me and why in this disaster I have been so lucky. It´s time to rest and feel the warm breath of my daughter. We are alive. The epicentre was about 70km south of Linares, where I live.

Later, the sun shines. In the car, we listen to Argentinean radio. They talk about the earthquake and how they could feel it in Buenos Aires and Patagonia. And slowly, there is some information from Chile. The epicentre is near Concepción. Our account manager lives there and we still don´t know anything about him and his family. I go to visit the nearest family. At about 11am, I´m able to communicate for a few seconds with my brothers all of them are OK and they tell me that my parents and other people I know are OK too. I lose the connection.

We start to organise communication by word of mouth. Unfortunately, we hear about an aunt and her employee who died under the rubble. We see the city destroyed, many old houses made of adobe, the churches, the roads, the bridges all destroyed or in a bad way. We have mineral water in the office, so we share it with our neighbours, friends and family because we know we won´t have water or electricity for some days. A small local radio at the church is able to transmit using an electric generator. At this moment, we realise that communication is down across the entire country.

The voices on the radio try to transmit calm to the public. We thank them for their efforts. The day passes rapidly. Without electricity, the day ends when the sun goes down. As I´m writing, a new tremor reminds me that these movements have been ongoing since the earthquake. Every tremor reminds me of what is important. My daughter is playing in the farm dining room together with all our workers’ kids.

Sunday, 28 February

Sunday is almost like any other Sunday, although by now we´ve had two near sleepless nights and we continue without communication, without water and without electricity. We wait nervously and try not to waste water, food or fuel. At midday, we start to hear on the radio about the impact in small villages near to Linares as well as Linares itself. According to the information, there are still a lot of people in need and many people that can´t reach their families in other parts of the region or other regions in Chile. We start to become more worried about what has happened to our workers.

In the afternoon, we begin to hear on the radio that the news in the rest of the region is also bad, but there are no details. I am sure the people living outside of Chile have more information about what is happening than we do. We go to the local radio station to transmit a message to our workers and let them know that our operations are OK. We also want to find out about them, their families and their houses.

Monday, 1 March

About 60 people turn up to work. We get a clearer understanding of what they need: some go back to their houses because they have to take care of their kids; then we realise just how in need they are, especially because of the lack of food; most of our workers who have damaged houses have problems with their roofs. We realise that our other workers must have even greater problems because they couldn´t come to work.

Wow, the electricity arrives, together with the water. Good news! But still no television or telephone yet. We make a new announcement on the local radio to thank the people that could come to work and express our concern about those people who couldn´t come because we imagine they are in a worse condition. We tell our workers that the bus to pick them up will pass by the same places as usual and we invite them to bring their kids to work if they have no safe places to leave them.

At the same time, we start to look for food, plastic and roofing materials to give to the people. We create a volunteer technical team to analyse the needs for each case and visit all the houses. Many people start to confirm that they will come to work with their kids.

During the night, the telephone and television come back on. I speak with my father. The images on television are striking. There´s a lot of destruction. We hear about the crime people taking all they can find at the supermarkets. Fortunately, we haven´t seen anything like this in Linares. We just see support, concern and solidarity honest working people, even those who´ve lost their homes. We give thanks for our health, work and look to the future.

Tuesday, 2 March

Around 150 workers arrive with their kids and other relatives. During the day, more people turn up with their families and bring food for everyone. We continue to provide food while we have it, but shortages are rapidly increasing. We´re already supporting about 200 workers. We continue with our improvised social survey, asking workers about their situation.

Some answer in great detail about their fears and with sad faces remember the broken plates, glasses, windows and televisions. Others say they and their families are well and express a strange sense of tranquillity and serenity. How can such a disaster bring out the best in people? These people, still so calm and serene after losing everything, carry on working like always they are happy to be working. We realise that even though they told us: Yes, we are all well, thank God!, their houses have been badly damaged and another family has had to give them help and a roof over their heads.

I think, how can I these people’s boss, with a stable house, food and a daughter sleeping warm learn from the wisdom and integrity of these people who have lost their homes? How can I work with these eyes of wisdom? What disaster must I experience to earn the wisdom that will allow me to appreciate what´s important in each moment? I thank God that God exists.

Another tremor. I lose my concentration. I want to be with my daughter. We still don´t know anything about our farm in Cauquenes, which is nearer to the epicentre. We still don´t know about our account manager and his family who live in Concepción.

Wednesday, 3 March

We visit the farm in Cauquenes. Thank God, all the workers on the farm are alive. There is, of course, a lot of material damage to the houses and so on, but the biggest problem is that there is still no electricity or water and it is impossible to irrigate the plants. Fortunately, the blueberry season there has ended, but there are 80ha of wine vineyards which it is impossible to water.

Eventually, we contact our account manager in Concepción by phone. Both he and his family are OK, which is a great relief to us all. Finally, the army takes the control of whole affected area in Chile. My account manager tells me he can finally sleep without fear. I think about how the government made a very late decision to send the army, even though the army was ready to go on the first day and the people in the affected regions were asking for their help in order to provide security. I´m very proud of our army.

There are millions of brave people in our small, long and narrow country who will continue to do their best. There is only one answer hard work. My responsibility and our responsibility at Entreríos Farms is to reconstruct our country, our farm and its production. Despite all the difficulties, the first step is to go on as normal; to continue to supply our customers across the world with best quality organic fruit; and to continue to provide our employees with a good working environment. By that I mean a good house and family environment. With that in mind, our new commitment to the Entrerios family is to reconstruct the homes lost in this tragedy.

For this, we ask you, as a part of the whole supply chain, to do the best you can for your clients in order to make the most profit. With this profit, we can reconstruct the homes of our employees as quickly as possible. If you are willing and able to help us in another way, we would be very grateful.

Jorge Bawlitza, Entreríos Farms

You may have heard about the devastating earthquake that hit Chile on Saturday.
It is a terrible human tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with all the people of Chile as they try to piece back together their lives, communities, and businesses. The massive 8.8 earthquake has hit growing areas from region V to IX , supply complications are likely to be severe- major highways and bridges have been destroyed, electricity outages have damaged cold-storage capacity, and growers are struggling to maintain operations in the context of massive disruptions to basic services, including running water. Now, more than ever, it is important to know that Fair Trade makes a difference. So far this season with our fair trade blueberries from Chile, consumers have generated over $40,000 in social premiums. These premiums will be more important than ever in order to address the urgent needs of the people in all the affected communities. Premium funds can help people survive from the collapsed economy, to rebuild houses, schools, and community centers, and generate additional resources so that people can invest in what they need most. Every package of interrupcion* Fair Trade Blueberries generates social premiums, and every package makes a positive difference. We will have signs available this week designed for retail shelves where our partners can tell the story of Fair Trade as it directly relates to the recent earthquake. We are here to support any communication efforts that are of interest- our goal is to generate as much money in Fair Trade premiums as possible to provide aid to the people of Chile.We ask you to consider what you can do to increase the effectiveness of our efforts, and we welcome the chance to work and collaborate with you in partnership.

Rafael Goldberg, CEO interrupcion* Fair Trade

WEINFELDEN, Switzerland The Institute for Marketecology (IMO) issued a Fair for Life Fair Trade Certification to a locally-owned Canadian independent distributor of organic produce, Discovery Islands Organics Ltd. Fair for Life was developed as an alternative Fair Trade Certification Program by the Swiss Bio-Foundation, in cooperation with IMO, in 2006.

Fair for Life Social & Fair Trade Certification includes high transparency, social responsibility audits, requirements for good environmental performance, and the ability to combine Fair Trade certification with other programs, such as organic certification, for all major world markets.

Discovery Islands Organics is an organic and Fair Trade importer and distributor for fresh produce. They carry several product lines, such as bananas from Peru, and avocados and mangos from Mexico, that are certified, and now also blueberries, apples and pears that are Fair for Life Fair Trade Certified. Discovery Islands Organics´ ethnical sourcing policy is to buy local and direct, first and foremost, and they also work primarily with grower cooperatives for the majority of their product sourcing. They help to educate their growers on fair trade, and have supported the implementation of fair trade certified systems with their growers.

: We are happy to see a pioneer in the Northwestern and Canadian organic movements embrace fair trade among its sourcing practices and company policy,! said Wolfgang Kathe, department manager for social and fairtrade at IMO.: The combination of organic and fair trade, both domestically and internationally are important in promoting sustainability through trade.!

Taken from www.naturalproductsmarketplace.com/news

Three decades ago, conventional wisdom and conventional food producers assumed that customers cared only about cheap and convenient food. The future they envisioned was based upon generic food plain white boxes with plain black labels proclaiming: corn flakes,!: soda crackers! and my all-time favorite : beer.!

Generic food aisles came and went because consumers wanted more than just cheap and convenient. As more people demanded good, wholesome, healthy food, the federal government responded with laws like the Organic Foods Production Act. That was then. Today, traceability marks a new trend throughout the conventional and natural food channels. Retailers are requesting it. New laws mandate it. Everything from the Food Safety Enhancement Act to the National Animal Identification is rooted in the need for greater traceability in the food system. But building a safe, wholesome food infrastructure simply upon traceability misses the boat.

Customers want authenticity, not just traceability. Farmers´ markets have exploded across the country in part because people want to see the growers behind the products they are feeding their families. Traceability tells our customers the where and how of food production. Authenticity accentuates the who.

Authenticity is all about added value. Knowing that a product was grown by farmers who don´t use synthetic pesticides and herbicides adds value for customers who connect diet and health. Buying meat from ranchers who pasture-raise their animals adds value in terms of taste and confidence regarding animal husbandry.

The strong push for greater traceability is creating an explosion of new audit systems, software and electronic tracking devices that enable retailers and regulators to pinpoint the source of any food safety breakdown in the supply chain. (For more on new technology, click here for our story on “Beyond the bar code.!) Why not utilize this new regulatory system for something more beneficial than forcing extra paperwork and record keeping upon growers and suppliers? This is an opportunity to introduce those growers to your customers.

Farmers and ranchers today are increasingly frustrated by the burgeoning requirements of documenting their protocols without receiving commensurate rewards for the added value they create through their growing practices, land stewardship and animal management. Adding that value will not only serve as a nice bonus, but may ultimately help keep independent growers in business.

Customers today want products grown locally and produced by independent farmers. Ironically, the capital investment and labor requirements for documenting all production and handling procedures favors industrialized operations that can hire teams of quality assurance specialists and database managers. For smaller independent growers, increased traceability requirements mean only one more set of chores at the end of a very long day.

Creating a supply chain where paperwork and documentation replace personal relationships and trust only ultimately pushes the food system away from the very values customers are seeking today. Rewarding producers for the authenticity of the products they supply helps restore those relationships and brings added value to customers and growers alike.

Dave Carter is principal of Crystal Springs Consulting and executive director of the National Bison Association. He maintains a small herd of buffalo in Colorado.

Produce industry faces changed world after recession

Published on 10/04/2009 09:00am By Dawn Withers

ANAHEIM, Calif. As the economy begins to slowly recover, the produce industry faces a radically different business environment where consumers have less loyalty and are concerned about sustainability.

Dawn Withers

Bryan Silbermann, president of the Produce Marketing Association, speaks about the future of the produce industry during his annual outlook presentation at Fresh Summit on Oct. 3.

Bryan Silbermann, president of the Produce Marketing Association, said during his annual outlook presentation at Fresh Summit on Oct. 3 that while consumers are looking to get more value for their produce purchases and are spending less, they want to connect to the items they buy and the companies that grow them.

: Getting back to basics is about supporting the community,! Silbermann said.

In the new economy, Silbermann said consumers are concerned about the ethics behind the produce they buy, whether workers are paid well or how the produce is grown, and feel they are bettering their communities through locally sourced produce.

: It´s a fundamental shift in how some people view their place in the world,! Silbermann said.