While 25 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming are estimated to come from the agriculture sector, the sustainable farming practices of many small-scale farmers actually help to cool the planet and protect our natural resources. Organic farming, reforestation, soil and watershed protection, and the use of stoves that convert organic waste into methane gas are just some of the ways in which small-scale farmers are keeping our food, our bodies, and our eco-systems healthy.
In these pages, we will share some inspiring examples of environmental stewardship that our small farmer coffee, tea, and cacao co-operative partners are undertaking. We will also let you know exciting ways that you can support these green planet initiatives. If we stop a moment to really consider the contribution that small farmers make to our planet and our food system, then the choice to pay a fair price for their products, support their ecological initiatives, and take steps to reduce our own environmental footprints should be an easy commitment we can take on wholeheartedly.
So we would also like to offer this space to share some examples of ways in which all of you – and we at Equal Exchange – are taking actions to ”green” our own communities, religious institutions, schools, cafes, and other work places. Through the choices we make in purchases, building materials, energy sources, packaging, and transportation we can make tremendous strides in creating a greener planet and a healthier and more just food system.
Please send us your ideas and your success stories … because we’re all in this together!
This page has the following sub pages.
- Small-Scale Rooibos Farmers Adapt to Climate Change through Sustainable Farming Practices
- Women in Chiapas Coffee Co-operative Organize to Protect the Biosphere, Feed their Families, and Diversify their Incomes
- Planting Trees for Life in Nicaragua
- Food Security, Organic Farming, and Environmental Preservation in Colombia
