Fair Trade 2.0 is a student led group on WVU's campus that's working with a coffee cooperative in the nation of Nicaragua. The group's goal is to ensure that farming organizations receive a suitable prices for the coffee they grow.
"We've connected with one community of farmers who do grow coffee for the fair trade market and are trying to work with them and support them in a range of different ways to improve income and liveliness," Geography professor Bradley Wilson said. Students involved with Fair Trade 2.0 are partnering with a coffee cooperative called "La Hermandad" in Nicaragua, which means brotherhood or sisterhood in Spanish.
"La Hermandad" is an organization made up more than 100 people in the community of San Ramon. Professor Bradley Wilson has been working with La Hermandad members since 2005. He says, farmers don't make enough money from the coffee they produce, and that isn't fair trade.
"For farmers in Nicaragua, coffee is a livelihood, it's a means for living. Coffee as we know, you can't live by Coffee alone. They need to find other ways to earn money as well, so we're providing a small loan to do that."
The group has used a $1,000 micro-loan to purchase coffee picked by La Hermandad members. Students turned around and then sold about 100 pounds of coffee. The money made was used to create a low-cost credit fund to buy dairy cows, hens for eggs, and other farm supplies.
"This is a way in which students can do more by doing a direct investment, actually in the lives of farming communities in Nicaragua and elsewhere," Bradley said. Senior Amanda Rivera says her work with Fair trade 2.0 is making her understand the struggles many of these farmers face.
"I have more of a prospective of what people go through day-to-day just to support themselves, how people are living in different places in the world," she said. Fair Trade 2.0 plans to continue raising funds and selling coffee for its Café con Leche Campaign in the spring.
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