Farmers

Demand for food that is grown in a sustainable and just way is growing by leaps and bounds. While still a small part of the overall food market, organic food sales have consistently grown by 20% a year, while Fair Trade certified product sales have grown even faster. Farmers markets are booming across the nation and now we here that "local is the new organic."

The next stage is Local Fair Trade food: food consumed close to the source, grown by family farmers, with a fair price going to farmers and a fair wage and respectful working conditions for farm workers. Some farmers, farm workers and retailers have long done their best to practice Local Fair Trade. Joining LFTN gives farmers the opportunity to find new markets for their products and helps retailers find the farmers committed to just practices. For a list of Local Fair Trade member farmers, click here.

In addition, LFTN works on projects to promote Local Fair Trade to the public and build a Local Fair Trade infrastructure. Currently, we are working with the Agricultural Justice Project to create a domestic Fair Trade label. We are also exploring the creation of a web-based tool to help farmers determine their cost of production. Please let us know if you would like to be involved in either of these projects, or have other suggestions, at info@localfairtrade.org.

news about farmers...

Growing locally, legislating nationally

Consumers want more fruits and vegetables from nearby, but Congress has limited Midwest expansion. Local Fair Trade farmer Jack Hedin highlighted the negative effects of federal policy on local production in his New York Times editorial. Now the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune goes deeper.

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