Fairtrade Fortnight

As individual farmers, they struggle to get a fair price for their coffee in local and international markets. If prices fall, poor families and whole communities suffer.

Photo: Gilvan Barreto

That's why coffee farmers across Honduras have switched to Fairtrade. They've seen that if they work together they are able to negotiate better prices for their coffee. This is the power of Fairtrade.

Photo: Gilvan Barreto

Just like the coffee co-operative at Sesesmil, in Copan, western Honduras. With Oxfam's support, these poor coffee farmers – like Osmin Guerre, 18 – have joined together and transformed themselves into international coffee traders.

Photo: Gilvan Barreto

Certified as Fairtrade and organic, the coffee fetches a higher price than before. As a result, the 22 families involved in the co-operative have a secure income – and that means more nutritious meals, and the ability to invest in schools and community services.

Photo: Gilvan Barreto

Around 80 per cent of their coffee is exported to the Netherlands and the US. The rest is roasted locally and sold in their café and to tourists. All profits are reinvested in the co-operative to pay for wages, training and machinery.

Photo: Gilvan Barreto

It's transformed the life of farmers such as Jose Hernandez, 52, pictured at home in the kitchen with his wife Maria. "Now we no longer say 'maybe, maybe, life will get better'," he says. "Life is better. I see others who are not organised like us migrating to the States. They think life will be better there. They don't understand that there is a better life right here."

Photo: Gilvan Barreto

It's a similar story for farmers in nearby La Paz. Women here are particularly vulnerable. Most have had only a basic education, and many are single mothers raising several children. And have no access to land or property to help them earn a living.

Photo: Gilvan Barreto

With support from Oxfam, these women – including founding member Marlene – formed a co-operative and were trained in organic coffee production. They have bought land to produce organic coffee, which is now exported to a Fairtrade partner in Germany.

Photo: Gilvan Barreto

Dogna Hernandez, 46, is seeing the difference of Fairtrade in her life. "Because of the training we received we know how to farm steep, difficult land," she says. "I sell the coffee I pick to the co-operative. Right now, I'm saving for a bicycle for my daughter so she can get to school."

Photo: Gilvan Barreto

These simple stories show just how Fairtrade works. The next time you buy something from the wide range of Fairtrade products available in shops, you're making a real difference to the lives of people like these coffee farmers in Honduras.

Photo: Gilvan Barreto