Supporting farmers to become more resilient to the impact of climate change
WITH WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY JUST AROUND THE CORNER, SHARED INTEREST, EXPLAINS HOW IT IS INVESTING IN A FAIRER WORLD
THIS year, World Fair Trade Day on Saturday, May 14 is focused on the theme of climate justice.
The annual campaign which is founded by the World Fair
Trade Organization (WFTO), this year’s message is ‘let’s do it fair’ encouraging people to reflect on how climate change poses a more immediate threat for some world communities.
MEET SEGUNDO AND BELVER GARCIA
One of the businesses supported by Shared Interest is the CECAFE co-operative based in the Amazonas region of Peru. Segundo and
Belver Garcia are a father and son team of coffee growers and amongst the 800 members of the co-operative, who believe that their coffee is a symbol of wellbeing.
CECAFE produces high-quality Fairtrade and organic coffee, grown amidst rainforest and mountain ranges. Farmers work in harmony with their surroundings using soil conservation methods and apply their coffee pulp as compost.
In their dedication to protect and preserve the landscape, they have also launched a 40-year reforestation project.
SHARED INTEREST’S IMPACT
Shared Interest has provided finance to CECAFE for almost a decade so that the co-operative is able to pay farmers on time whilst also increasing production. However, the impact goes far beyond this.
As production increases, so does the amount of Fairtrade Premium paid to the co-operative. CECAFE has dedicated this additional sum of money to community projects promoting health and wellbeing for farmers and their families.
Shared Interest Head of Lending, Paul Sablich, is based in Peru. He said: “This sense of community is something that we share with CECAFE and with our supporters in the UK. Over 10,000 individuals currently invest in Shared Interest with the common goal of making trade fair. Together, we work towards a better quality of life for people living and working in remote regions.
“For me, this sums up the way that Shared Interest works - hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. And it is this way of working together, which will help farmers face new challenges, especially those related to climate change. It represents an increasing threat to communities in the 49 countries we work across and the rich diversity of products we support.
“We continue to work closely with farmers and artisans, to understand the challenges they face. It is thanks to our in-country presence that we have the relevant geographical knowledge and cultural understanding to ensure we can reach even the most remote communities in the developing world.
“Our lending team has evolved over the past 31 years, and is representative of our international focus. We have grown our overseas presence, and now we have regional teams in Costa Rica, Ghana, Kenya, and Peru.
“World Fair Trade Day is an important reminder of how important our work is - bringing together UK social investors to collectively provide finance so that farming co-operatives like CECAFE can provide a better income for their farmers and - through the Fairtrade Premium - better services to communities. It is like a ripple effect.” Segundo Garcia said: “Feeling the trust that Shared Interest gives us is something that motivates us a lot; especially if it comes from people whom we have a lot of respect and admiration for.” To find out more about Shared Interest, please visit shared-interest.com.