5 Percent 4 Farmers

Making meaningful differences in farmers' lives around the world

1) To implement a transparent and accountable system for collecting money, reliably distributing it to those to whom it is owed, and for reporting the results of 5P4F's efforts.
a) To implement a system with a minimum of bureaucracy and paid staffing.

2) To implement a system with zero barriers to entry for farmers.

3) To engage every level of the supply chain from farmer to ultimate consumer.

4) To provide a level of income sufficient to:
a) eliminate abusive labor practices irrespective of age or gender
b) eliminate the economic incentive to replace heirloom crop varieties with GMO crops
c) ensure adequate food, clothing, and housing
d) ensure adequate educational opportunities irrespective of age or gender

5) To foster educational programs:
a) that improve crop quality
b) that reduce the need to use inorganic agricultural inputs
c) that improve wastewater management practices
d) that passes on useful practices and traditions from generation to generation

6) To provide a source of micro-finance funds for infrastructure projects:
a) improved communication
b) better access to markets
c) improved facilities for post-harvest processing

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Looks like a good list to me Clay. I would add:

5) To foster educational programs:
a) that improve crop quality
b) that reduce the need to use inorganic agricultural inputs
c) that improve wastewater management practices

d) for children


6) To provide a source of micro-finance funds for infrastructure projects.
a) improved communication
b) better access to markets
c) improved facilities for post-harvest processing

d) provide reticulated water to communities
e) provide modern household waste treatment (is this covered by 5.c. above?)

Langdon
Langdon:

With respect to 5) I think it's covered in 4d) but I would expand it out to:

"To provide a level of income sufficient to ensure adequate educational opportunities for farm family members irrespective of age or gender."

With respect to 6) there's a difference between fostering educational programs and providing financing to implement solutions so household waste treatment and wastewater management should be in BOTH places.

Does the water system HAVE to be reticulated? Are there other possibilities? In other words, where we don't need to be specific we probably shouldn't be.

Also, in 4) I think expanding GMOs to encompass the notion of any agricultural technology or breeding technique that reduces genetic diversity. This would include GMO, modern hybrids, etc.
Clay & Sam I'm glad that someone is finally taking action to do something about this global travesty. I don't know nearly as much about the industry as you do - however, traveling to Belize with you opened my eyes in many ways. I think if more people actually visit the farms and see for themselves how the farmers live, it can make a huge difference in awareness and in funding this idea. Also, while it's important to educate farmers and their successive generations (in agriculture as well as whatever careers their children wish to pursue) - it is as important to pass the farming skills down. What this idea will do (as I see it) is allow more freedom for farmer's children to complete their studies (perhaps a scholarship fund could come from this) and at the same time, encourage staying in the "family business" in the future because it will pay better - perhaps eventually competing well with other alternatives.
- How does this compare with the mission statement for the Fairtrade Organisation? Are they trying to do the same things?
- Would it be worth talking to them to say "these are the issues that we think you aren't dealing with - can you change and can we help?"
- If you've already done all of this initial research - and again I apologise for being clumsy/lazy here - could we have a compare/contrast area so that I can answer competently when people ask about the differences?

Regards,
Duffy

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