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Learn about SOFA, the Small Organic Farmers' Association in Sri Lanka, which was established in 1997 to grow organic tea and spices. Discover how SOFA became Fairtrade certified and how their members have utilized the Fairtrade Premium for community development projects. Explore the diverse range of spices grown, including cloves, pepper, vanilla, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
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A Tale of Fairtrade Spice Growers SOFA: TheSmall Organic Farmers’ Association, in Sri Lanka.
SOFA – the Small Organic Farmers’ Association • in Sri Lanka. • It was set up in 1997 to grow organic tea, but farmers were also growing spices. • In 1998, SOFA’s tea was Fairtrade certified. • In 2006, the spices were Fairtrade certified. • There are approx 2000 farmers in SOFA, organised into local branch societies: 22 tea farmers societies and 15 spice farmer societies.
In 2007, SOFA members grew • 2,500 tonnes of spices, almost all sold as Fairtrade • 640 tonnes of green leaf tea, which was processed into 130 tonnes of green and black tea, all sold as Fairtrade. • This earns enough income for the farmers and their families to live on.
The average farm size is 1.5 acres, and farms are known traditionally as Forest Gardens. • Tea bushes dominate but these are intercropped with many different plants, including coffee, vegetables (for sale and home cooking), neem tree (the ‘village pharmacy’) and other plants for their medicinal properties. • Spices grown include: cloves, pepper vines, vanilla, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon.
The Fairtrade Premium SOFA farmers are paid the Fairtrade minimum price for every kilo of spices they grow and sell. Farmers use their earnings to care for their families and farms. Then SOFAAssociation receives an additional payment, called the Fairtrade Premium, for every kilo of tea and spices produced and sold as Fairtrade by SOFA members. The Fairtrade Premium is used for economic, social or environmental development projects, chosen by the Association members.
SOFA members decided to invest their Fairtrade Premium in • Training: how to grow better quality spices; how to practice organic farming eg how to make organic compost, fertiliser and pesticides. • Infrastructure projects: • Bridge repairs: for the vanilla growers, bridge repairs are a major activity, because they must walk long distances to access services: 5 – 8km to middle school; 25km to high school; 25km to nearest clinic or pharmacy; and 90km to nearest hospital with first 20km by foot. So when bad weather destroyed bridges in 2012, this increased the journey distance even more and perhaps stopped some children getting the education they needed. • maintaining and improving the farm lanes to make transport easier. • Clean water projects. • A community hall.
What Fairtrade Provides - Premium Funds In 2008, the Fairtrade Premium was used to build a Cultural Hall at Thotulagalla, as a local venue for special ceremonies, weddings and festivals for the local Tamil community. Celebrating Tamil culture is important for people’s identity and social cohesion. This hall will be handed down from generation to generation. In the past, community members had to travel long distances to hire community halls for these occasions, which was expensive and time-consuming.
Using the Fairtrade Premium to improve educational opportunities for families. • The local schools provide education up to the age of 18 years • The farmers decided to use part of their Fairtrade premium to provide: • Donations of books to pupils • Free sports clothing for children’s sports • Funding to provide extra GCSE and A level classes • Scholarship grants for GCSE level education • Computer training, both computers and teachers, for all ages • University grants
Using the Fairtrade Premium for healthier living, including food security The Fairtrade Premium is used to provide medical facilities, health camps for general fitness and health amongst community households. For example, one project has given all families a cow, giving milk for their health and food security, plus manure to improve their farm’s soil fertility. Another project distributed low-carbon, cleaner gas cookers amongst the community; smoky, inefficient fires produce smoke that is a major cause of poor health - and increases carbon emissions
So, when we choose to buy a Fairtrade certified product, we pay a fair price for the farmers’ work - a price which also enables farmers to improve the lives and futures of their families and communities.
