guatemala santiago

Fair trade is an innovative concept that connects producers and consumers in more equitable, more meaningful, and more sustainable ways. It happens through the development of consumer interest and the creation and cultivation of socially responsible importers. It is both moral and market driven.

The Fair Trade Federation guatemala santiago (FTF) , the largest association of fair trade organizations, has the following seven principles upon which fair trade is based.

1. Fair Wages

Paying fair wages does not necessarily mean that products cost the consumer more. Since Fair Trade Organizations bypass exploitative middlemen and work directly with producers, guatemala santiago they are able to cut costs and return a greater percentage of the retail price to the producers.

2. Cooperative Workplaces

Fair Trade Organizations work primarily with small businesses and worker owned, democratically run cooperatives and associations, bringing significant benefits to workers and their communities.

3. Consumer guatemala santiago Education

Fair Trade Organizations educate consumers about the importance of purchasing fairly traded products, which support living wages and healthy working conditions.

4. Environmental Sustainability

Fair Trade Organizations encourage producers to engage in environmentally friendly practices, which manage and use local resources in a sustainable fashion.

guatemala santiago 5. Financial and Technical Support

Small-scale farmers and artisans in the developing world lack access to affordable financing, impeding their profitability. FTF members that buy products directly from producers often provide financial assistance either through direct loans, prepayment or by linking producers with sources of financing.

6. Respect guatemala santiago for Cultural Identity

Fair Trade Organizations encourage the production and development of products based on producers´ cultural traditions adapted for Western markets.

7. Public Accountability

FTF members´ finances, management policies, and business practices are open to the public and monitoring by the Fair Trade Federation. The FTF guatemala santiago provides an independently monitored guarantee that fair trade conditions are really being met and are not just marketing hype.

Shade Tree Grown coffees are grown under a canopy of sun filtering trees.

Traditionally, all coffee was grown under a canopy of shade trees. The original tipica and borbon varieties, brought to the New World centuries ago, are relatively intolerant of direct sunlight and require the filtering effect guatemala santiago of shade trees. These plants are slow maturing and require ample space to grow. They are typically only moderately prolific bean producers, yet render a wonderfully flavourful coffee. Many of the high quality arabica beans we roast and serve are related to or are this original variety of coffee.

guatemala santiago Today, the smaller peasant-owned farms carry on the tradition, planting and cultivating their crops high on the slopes of mountains just as they have for generations. The coffee plants exist happily intertwined with native vegetation and food crops, under an umbrella of multistoried fruit trees, leguminous trees and native hardwoods. guatemala santiago Every plant and tree is harvested, providing food, shelter and fuel for the families on the farm. Any excess products are sold at the local markets, thus providing an economic buffer for the coffee farmer. The trees provide a natural fertilizer of nitrogen-rich mulch to the coffee soil. The mulch guatemala santiago is useful in soil moisture conservation, suppression of weed growth and soil erosion.

Shaded coffee farms perform a function of being sanctuaries for as many as 150 species of resident and migratory birds and animal life. The presence of birds is significant for the coffee farmer because a diverse guatemala santiago and large bird population can often be an excellent source of insect and pest control. This biodiversity results in a far lower risk of infestation, plague, and disease in the coffee farm, resulting in less need for insecticides and more sustainability for the farmer.

Many of the larger modern guatemala santiago coffee farms have elected to remove shade trees and plant more sun-tolerant coffee varieties in dense stands for the hopes of higher production. While higher production is likely, the ecological price tag is higher on these farms due to the increased dependence on herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers as well as guatemala santiago increased soil erosion and water runoff.

search this topic in mayor search engines. :