Produce Resources

It’s not a secret: due to human activity – particularly the activity of the most privileged – the Earth is in crisis. We are sharing three stories that uplift the work of those on the frontlines of healing the environment while feeding people, the producers who have spent their lives working towards sustainable agriculture.

Las Mujeres Polinizadoras de Tingambato, a women’s apiculturist cooperative that was established by Equal Exchange’s partner cooperative, PROFOSMI. The initiative seeks to offer entrepreneurial skills to economically disadvantaged women through beekeeping.

In this update from Eunice Jijon Jarquin and Alyssa Melendez, learn about Equal Exchange’s fair trade avocado partnership with La Grama in Peru, and how co-op farmers are adapting to the challenges of an ongoing global pandemic.

When you purchase a conventional banana at a grocery store, there are certain costs that your everyday low price covers: the fruit itself; the international shipping costs; the trucking from the warehouse to the grocery stores. These costs are internalized, meaning they’re accounted for in the final price you pay. But there are hidden costs to banana production that you won’t pay a cent for at the cash register.

If you’re a U.S. consumer, 8 out of 10 times your avocado will come from Michoacán, Mexico. There are various reasons for this Mexican dominance of the U.S. avocado market, like geographic proximity. However, as consumer demand has continued to boom, it has become clear that other origins are needed to provide a stable and reliable year-round supply for consumers.

Part Three explores how you and your grocery store can contribute to the fight against TR4 with six actions to take.

Part Two, we explore the particular challenges that small-scale farmers face as they employ TR4 prevention techniques and how various strategies can reduce a farm’s risk of contamination. Governments, research groups, and producers have worked tirelessly to strengthen infrastructure and prevent the disease from spreading.

Part One of a three-part series exploring the threat of TR4 banana production in Latin America, and to small-scale farmers in particular. Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 (TR4) is a fungal disease affecting bananas, and it poses a major threat to the crop worldwide.

Equal Exchange Supply Chain Coordinator Johanna Contreras Manito recently spoke with a logistics manager, a pack crew leader, and a farmer-member at AVACH who each represent integral pieces of our Peruvian banana supply chain.

Fairtrade. Organic. Small Farmer Grown. Equal Exchange produce is unconventional. It’s not just that it is organic and Fairtrade, the Equal Exchange produce supply chain is a genuine departure from the conventional system.

In the fair trade world, farmers form the backbone of the supply chain and are essential partners for the businesses with whom they work. However, in discussions about farming, well-intentioned speakers on the receiving end of the supply chain tend to fit farmers into boxes, conjuring an image of “The Farmer” as a middle-aged (and in the U.S., white) male.

Over the past year, we have had to adjust our lives to unexpected changes, and adapt to new ways of socializing, shopping, and eating. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us may have experienced shortages at local grocery stores, while others may have embraced meal kits and delivery services.