Despite popular beliefs, organic agriculture is actually much more
than simply farming without chemicals. Organic farming systems seek
to imitate nature by achieving stability through bio-diversity and
by building soil fertility through the recycling of energy and nutrients.
Organic agriculture encompasses all aspects of a sustainable system:
bio-diversity, a living wage, employee welfare, waste recycling,
species preservation, watershed management, conservation of natural
resources and the health and vitality of all living systems.
Fair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries gain direct
access to international markets, as well as develop the business
capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By learning
how to market their own harvests, Fair Trade farmers are able to
bootstrap their own businesses and receive a fair price for their
products. This leads to higher family living standards and thriving
communities. Fair Trade empowers farming families to take care of
themselves—without developing dependency on foreign aid.
Bio-diverse or Shade farming protects the understory coffee plants
from rain and sun, helps maintain soil quality, reduces the need
for weeding, and aids in pest control. Organic matter from the shade
trees provides natural mulch, reducing erosion and the need for
chemical fertilizers, and preventing metal toxicities. Ongoing studies
of birds, insects, canopy trees, orchids, and amphibians show that
coffee plantations are often critical refuges protecting forest
species where there is no longer any forest.
Small family farms are the backbone of a community, a nation, and
of society as a whole. A landscape of family farms is balanced,
stable, and sustainable. It's the natural shape of society on the
land. Such communities aggregate into strong and secure nations.
Small farms embody a diversity of ownership, cropping systems, landscapes,
biological organization, culture and traditions. Decentralized land
ownership produces more equitable economic opportunity for people
in rural areas, as well as greater social capital.
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