A well argued article about the benefits of higher prices to quinoa farmers of the Altiplano. It puts the well intention but unrepresentative article, that appeared in the  Guardian last week, into perspective.  http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/01/quinoa_bad_for_bolivian_and_peruvian_farmers_ignore_the_media_hand_wringing.htm

For thousands of years, quinoa was cultivated in the Andes by the Incas, who considered it as the sacred crop of the gods and the “mother of all grains” (hence the name Mothergrain). Launched in 2011, Quinola Mothergrain is an organic and Fairtrade brand, sourcing and producing the finest quinoa there is. Grown and harvested at 4000 meters on the Peruvian Altiplano, Quinola is produced using sustainable farming techniques. The founder, James Livingstone-Wallace, helps in the development of the cooperative through the purchase of tractors, trucks and other material to facilitate harvesting and sorting the grains before getting them to...

22/02/2021 marked the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight 2021. Choosing Fairtrade is about social justice. It’s about choosing to support farmers and choosing climate resilience for the people who have least contributed to the climate crisis. It’s about choosing to act now. But what actually is Fairtade? Where did it begin, and what does it mean? Fairtrade began in response to the struggles of Mexican coffee farmers following the collapse of world coffee prices in the late 1980s. The Fairtrade Foundation, the UK branch, was then founded in 1992. Now, it’s about much more that cocoa and coffee with all sorts of...

What is Fairtrade? Fairtrade began in the 1980s in response to the struggles faced by Mexican coffee farmers following the collapse of world coffee prices. In 1992, the UK branch of Fairtrade – The Fairtrade Foundation – was founded. Across 2020 UK shoppers helped generate $41 million in Fairtrade Premiums for Fairtrade communities. What is Fairtrade Fortnight? For two weeks a year, thousands of individuals, companies and groups across the UK come together to share Fairtrade stories. The stories of the people who grow our food and drinks, mine our gold and who grow the cotton in our clothes. People...