Coming Together for Health, Justice, and Sustainability in our Food and Agriculture System

October 30, 2009 by dftassociation

It is hard not to notice the recent renewed interest in our food system. People want to know where their food came from, who grew it, and what impact it had on the environment along the way. This is an exciting time in many ways. Yet with so many players promoting so many different goals, it can be confusing, too. Supporting struggling family farmers, eating safe and nutritious food, ensuring farmworker rights, reducing the environmental impact of the way food is grown and consumed, and understanding the ingredients used to make food products are just some of the goals promoted by various groups concerned about our current food system.

Domestic fair trade seeks to bring many seemingly disparate groups together and highlight the links among them. The Domestic Fair Trade Association includes farmer and farmworker groups as well as traders, retailers, and NGOs, all committed to health, justice, and sustainability in our food and agriculture system.

We base our work on 14 principles covering support of family farms, farmworkers and indigenous people; democracy, capacity building, and equality in the workplace; direct trade, long-term relationships, fair pricing, and shared risk in trading relationships; sustainable agriculture and appropriate technology during production; and transparency and education throughout the agricultural chain. Over 30 member organizations are busy translating these principles into action. Here are just a few examples.

At a time when both conventional and organic dairy farmers are faced with a national dairy crisis, Organic Valley Family of Farms is providing family farmers an alternative. As a co-op, members have a voice in major decisions affecting them.  The co-op is also guided by a philosophy of transparency and ecological concern. You can read more about the dairy crisis and Organic Valley’s response on their blog. Pictured below is Toby on his family's dairy family farm in Ohio, producing organic milk for Organic Valley (Photo c2009 David Nevela for Organic Valley).

Equal Exchange, themselves a worker-owned co-operative, has long-term relationships with farmer co-operatives in both California and Georgia, as well as organic farmers in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, who collectively supply the ingredients used to make three snacks: roasted salted pecans, organic tamari roasted almonds, and organic dried sweetened cranberries. Nuts are often sold through brokers and are difficult to trace back to their origin. Equal Exchange invites consumers to log onto the Equal Exchange website with the sell-by date of their snack and learn more about the farmers who grew the almonds, pecans, and cranberries they are eating.

Swanton Berry Farm is a family farm in California specializing in certified organic berries and other produce and using exclusively union labor. Respecting the rights of those working on the farm is fundamental to their growing process. They are also concerned with how food travels once it leaves the farm and offer a discount to those who travel by bike to their farm stand.

Seward Co-op in Minneapolis, one of six retailers that are part of DFTA, helps to bridge the gap between consumers and farmers by developing meaningful relationships with both. The member-owned co-op is committed to equitable economic relations, positive environmental impacts, and socially responsible practices. Seward serves as a drop-off location for seven local farms who have CSA (community supported agriculture) programs in the city. They also negotiate yearly agreements with local growers based on what they expect to be able to buy. This helps farmers plan their plantings and estimate income for the season ahead. In an effort to educate and provide transparency to consumers, Seward posts signs describing how and by whom products were grown.

Several DFTA members, CATA (Farmworker Support Committee), RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International), NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association), and FOG (Florida Organic Growers) have been working for several years to develop a full-scale certification program for social justice and domestic fair trade in the food system. The Agricultural Justice Project standards promote just working conditions for workers and fair contracts and prices for farmers. AJP has been piloting the program in the Midwest and is now expanding the certification to other parts of the US and Canada.

These are just a few examples of how our member organizations put our principles into practice. To learn more and keep up with new developments, check back here often and sign up for our e-news (just send an email to dftassociation@gmail.org). Also consider attending our annual meeting, open to both members and non-members, December 4-6, 2009 in La Farge, Wisconsin.

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