314 Sustainable Farming
Specialty products and certification
Large farm corporations are able to keep prices low and still earn a profit
because they produce so much and often get support from the government. But
farmers who grow on smaller plots of land can also benefit from programs that
promote products grown using certain methods.
Several certification programs help farmers earn better prices for their
products. A certification program lets the buyer know crops were grown
without chemicals, or that the farmer gets a fair price. Two programs for the
international market are organic certification and fair trade certification. Before
making the decision to seek certification, consider the changes you will need to
make in how your farm is organized. Think about how much time and money
it will take to make the changes, if there is a market for the certified products
you will produce, and what you will gain from having your crops certified.
Organic certification
Organic products are grown using sustainable methods, without chemicals
or GE seeds (see Chapter 13). Organic certification also requires that after
harvest, the products are kept separately from foods grown with chemicals.
Every country has different rules for certification. Most require farmers to keep
records of how they grew their crops.
Fair trade certification
Fair trade certification is given to farm cooperatives or to farm workers who
belong to unions. To be fair trade certified, farmer groups show that they use
fair labor practices (no forced labor, no child labor, and fair wages for workers)
and promote good environmental practices. To stay certified,
the group needs to show that labor and environmental
conditions improve over time. There are scholarships for
farmer groups who cannot afford the cost of certification.
Organic and fair trade certifications
help farmers earn more money.
Fair trade certification is currently provided for
small producers of coffee, tea, cacao, bananas and
other fresh fruit, and may include other crops
by the time you read this book. (To learn about
organic and fair trade certification programs,
see Resources.)
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012