Membership

The Local Fair Trade Network is a network of people dedicated to growing a healthy, just and sustainable food system in the Upper Midwest. Our strength is in our members, who contribute their money, time, insights and connections to this effort.

Talk of food and farming is in the air. We hear about the problems: chemical pesticides in the water, farmworker exploitation, unhealthy additives, obesity run rampant, fuel costs going up, feedlots ruining communities, farmers going out of business, and on and on. People are waking up to the costs behind the seeming abundance of industrial agriculture.

At the same time, knowledge of the solutions to these problems is spreading far and wide. Buying local, organic farming, farmers' markets, and community supported agriculture are moving from the fringes to the heart of the mainstream. Millions of people are enthusiastically seeking out ways to eat more ethically and to be more engaged with the food they eat and the people who grow it.

Fair Trade is the concept that links all of these efforts together. Created by coffee farmers and the consumers who bought from them directly, Fair Trade is an ever growing practice in which the growers, sellers and eaters of food work cooperatively for health, justice and sustainability for all.

Fair Trade is being applied to American agriculture first right here in the Upper Midwest. Over the last several years, the Local Fair Trade Network (LFTN) has done ground-breaking work to make the connections that will lead to positive change in the food system. Our 2008 work includes:

The Local Fair Trade certification pilot program: Working closely with a small group of food co-ops and organic farmers as well as farmworker group Centro Campesino, LFTN has laid the groundwork for a system to verify that farmers and farmworkers are getting a fair return for their hard work.

Connecting the City and the Farm: LFTN has sponsored events where urban folks had a chance to meet and learn about the farmers and farmworkers who grow their food while lending a hand at local organic farms, including our week-long "Squash Extravaganza" at Featherstone Farm.

Educating the Public About Fair Trade: LFTN has made presentations to groups of farmers, farmworkers, students and others in communities around the Upper Midwest as well as placing stories in local and state-wide media, from the Fillmore County Journal to Minnesota Public Radio.

Facilitating Problem-Solving for Farmers: LFTN and the Land Stewardship Project have sponsored discussions between farmers and distributors in order to create innovative solutions to the problem of getting food to people in a manner that is sustainable and beneficial to farmers.

But this work is just now gaining momentum. Please help push it forward by becoming a member of the Local Fair Trade Network. In these times of economic crisis and the end of the fossil fuel economy, we need to be building alternatives that will last. With your help we can fulfill the promise of Fair Trade and build a healthy local food system for generations to come.

To become a member, click the "Make a Donation" button to the left of this text, or send a check payable to LFTN to
Local Fair Trade Network
2105 First Ave. So.
Minneapolis, MN 55404.

Individual Membership Levels:

Member: $30
Grower: $60
Builder: $120
Sustainer: $250
Student: $20

Business Memberships (Retailers and Farmers):

$100 per million dollars in sales. Minimum: $25

Farmers and retailers are also asked to sign the Local Fair Trade Pledge.

Of course, we encourage larger donations from those who can make them. Our goal is to be an organization accountable to, and thus funded by, farmers, farm workers, businesses and consumers dedicated to Fair Trade. This means shifting from dependence on foundations to receiving the majority of our support from members and from consumers of Domestic Fair Trade items. Please help us attain this goal by becoming a member and by spreading the word about LFTN.