Articles
Leaders in Sustainable Agriculture
It’s not a secret: due to human activity – particularly the activity of the most privileged – the Earth is in crisis. We are sharing three stories that uplift the work of those on the frontlines of healing the environment while feeding people, the producers who have spent their lives working towards sustainable agriculture.
Cooperative Bananas, in Dollars and Cents
When you purchase a conventional banana at a grocery store, there are certain costs that your everyday low price covers: the fruit itself; the international shipping costs; the trucking from the warehouse to the grocery stores. These costs are internalized, meaning they’re accounted for in the final price you pay. But there are hidden costs to banana production that you won’t pay a cent for at the cash register.
Unconventional Bananas in Peru: Interview with Julio Oscar Gallegos Herrera-Rambla
Equal Exchange works with a movement of independent businesses–farmer co-ops, distributors, stores–to create a banana supply chain that is unconventional at every step. In a sensitive industry, we look to the farmer organizations revolutionizing the banana trade to envision a future in which the industry represents and benefits all stakeholders.
Fighting TR4 at Your Grocery Store: A Consumer Action Guide
Part Three explores how you and your grocery store can contribute to the fight against TR4 with six actions to take.
What’s a Farmer to Do? TR4 and Small-Scale Producers
Part Two, we explore the particular challenges that small-scale farmers face as they employ TR4 prevention techniques and how various strategies can reduce a farm’s risk of contamination. Governments, research groups, and producers have worked tirelessly to strengthen infrastructure and prevent the disease from spreading.
Banana Production in the Shadow of TR4
Part One of a three-part series exploring the threat of TR4 banana production in Latin America, and to small-scale farmers in particular. Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 (TR4) is a fungal disease affecting bananas, and it poses a major threat to the crop worldwide.
“We Met Online”: Building A New Banana Partnership with AVACH During COVID-19
Equal Exchange Supply Chain Coordinator Johanna Contreras Manito recently spoke with a logistics manager, a pack crew leader, and a farmer-member at AVACH who each represent integral pieces of our Peruvian banana supply chain.
About Equal Exchange Fresh Produce
Fairtrade. Organic. Small Farmer Grown. Equal Exchange produce is unconventional. It’s not just that it is organic and Fairtrade, the Equal Exchange produce supply chain is a genuine departure from the conventional system.
Power to the (Women) Farmers
In the fair trade world, farmers form the backbone of the supply chain and are essential partners for the businesses with whom they work. However, in discussions about farming, well-intentioned speakers on the receiving end of the supply chain tend to fit farmers into boxes, conjuring an image of “The Farmer” as a middle-aged (and in the U.S., white) male.
How a Bruised Banana Can Save the World
Over the past year, we have had to adjust our lives to unexpected changes, and adapt to new ways of socializing, shopping, and eating. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us may have experienced shortages at local grocery stores, while others may have embraced meal kits and delivery services.