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Showing posts from October 1, 2007

'Fair trade' Certification Yielding Benefits for Brazilian Coffee Farmers

Rafael de Paiva, right, said that fair trade coffee farming has helped his family "create a decent living." (Lalo de Almeida for The New York Times.) Courtesy of International Herald Tribune. By Andrew Downie International Herald Tribune Monday, October 1, 2007 VARGINHA, Brazil: Rafael de Paiva was skeptical at first. If he wanted a "fair trade" certification for his coffee crop, the Brazilian farmer would have to adhere to a long list of rules on pesticides, farming techniques, recycling and other matters. He even had to enroll his children in school. "I thought, 'This is difficult,' " Paiva recalled. But the 20 percent premium he recently received for his first fair trade harvest made the effort worthwhile, he said, adding that it "helped us create a decent living." More farmers are likely to see similar offers as importers and retailers rush to meet growing demands from consumers and advocates to adhere to stricter environmental and so...

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