Marketing Farm Products 315
Farmers market
products cooperatively
Farmers in the Talamanca
region of Costa Rica grow
cacao beneath the shade of
banana and other fruit trees.
In the past, they sold their
bananas and fruit at local
markets. When they realized
they could earn more money by
selling cacao on the international
market, many farmers decided to work together to do that.
They formed a cooperative, the Association of Small Producers of
Talamanca (APPTA). At first they had trouble finding buyers for their cacao.
A few buyers paid prices that covered the costs of production, but did not cover
the costs of processing and transporting the cacao. APPTA needed money to
build a cacao processing plant.
After several visits to the city to talk to cacao buyers, the farmers learned
about fair trade and organic certification programs that would bring higher
prices for their crops. Because they were a cooperative of smallholder farmers,
they were already eligible for fair trade certification. If they also had organic
certification, they could raise their prices enough to generate funds to build
a processing plant. But even though they did not use chemicals, none of them
could afford to have their land certified.
APPTA negotiated with the organic certification organizations of Europe
and the United States to suggest they certify the whole cooperative. The
cooperative made sure that no chemicals were used and that each farm followed
the same standards for quality and health. Several cooperative members were
trained to visit each cacao farm and report on their standards. The cooperative
paid only 1 fee for certification, checked the farmers’ records themselves, and
then filled out just 1 report for each of the certification organizations.
Once the cooperative was certified organic and fair trade, they received
better prices. They got a loan to build a cacao processing plant. Soon they were
selling organic bananas and other fruit for very good prices, both locally and
internationally, and making organic chocolate to sell in the city.
By forming a cooperative, the farmers and their families not only gained
better prices for their products, they also gained more control over their work
and more possibilities for their futures.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012