Covid-19 Producer Support Appeal Update
Nicola Taylor • June 12, 2020
An update from Eswatini and KASFA on how they are using the funds
Eswatini Kitchen and Woman Farmer Foundation, through the support of JTS (Just Trading Scotland), will be implementing a short term project where they will supply small-holder farmers with soaps and disinfectants and also educate and sensitize farmers on Covid-19. The short term project will further ensure that producers still have access to markets such as Eswatini Kitchen in order to keep the food chain moving despite the current situation the world is faced with.
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Eswatini Kitchen (ESK) has taken a number of preventative measures to make sure that the virus does not spread by providing ESK staff with soap wash basins, masks, sanitizers, enforced social distancing inside the factory and also prevent non-essential visits at the factory. The short term project will build on the above initiatives that ESK has implemented to ensure that the virus does not spread and that they are able to continue supplying JTS whilst still adhering to food safety standards. In that regard of continuous supply, ESK will be working with Woman Farmer Foundation (ESK) an NGO that links ESK with smallholder women and youth farmers that supply ESK with fresh produce such as lime, tomatoes, cayenne pepper, birds’ eye chilli, grapefruits and onions. A lot of information is needed in the rural communities about how farmers and their workers can enforce precautions at the fields to safeguard workers and ensure that food safety systems are in place and that they wash their hands regularly whilst maintaining social distancing.
The project outcomes will be improved knowledge on Covid-19 prevention and continuous supply of fresh produce which will result in less disruption of the food supply chain.
Sonia Paiva, the Managing Director of Eswatini Kitchen, had this to say “The Woman Farmer Team is doing well with the progress of the Covid19 project. We hope and pray that you will be able to secure some more funding. We have been told that schools are opening and grade 7, grade 9 and 12 will be the first ones to attend classes. Most of our schools in the rural areas do not even have running water yet, but we will see what other support we will be able to provide.”
Meanwhile in Malawi ...
JTS buy Kilombero rice from the Kaporo Smallholder Farmer Association (KASFA) in Karonga, Northern Malawi. They gratefully received the first lot of donations and have put these to good use by providing Personal Protective Equipment such as gloves, masks, aprons, goggles, thermometers etc to a rural health centre and a rural hospital. These two facilities are in the areas where most of the rice farmers live and grow the award winning Kilombero rice. The Chairperson of KASFA, Twebo Ng'oma, said "We expect the PPE would enhance the health workers efforts in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in the area.
He then went on to acknowledge that "rice farmers play a critical role in the country's socio economic growth" and that "the pandemic has hit the rice industry hard" This just emphasises our need to do more, to keep on seeking donations which will help our producers and the health care facilities in these communities and to continue to support them in this fight against coronavirus.
In light of this and the fact that we still have to reach our target, we urge that if you can spare even just a few £'s, that you consider the plight of these producers and donate to our Total Giving page.
The donations made the local newspaper in Karonga, the excerpt is below.
After six years of leadership, Mary Popple has retired from her role as Chair of the True Origin Board to assume the role as an ordinary board member. She leaves a legacy of steadfast, values-led leadership, resilience and commitment to Fair Trade during a period of significant transition for the social enterprise. First appointed to the True Origin Board in 2013, Mary became the first woman to take on the role of Chair in April 2019. Her journey into the position was shaped by a successful career in the IT industry and a passion for Fair Trade. Mary was an active member of the influential St Andrews Fair Trade group which successfully campaigned to designate the town as a Fairtrade area, and for The Open Golf championship to become the first UK sports tournament to commit to using Fairtrade products. This was complemented with over twenty years’ experience of involvement in other trade justice and development opportunities for women. During her six-year tenure as Chair of the True Origin board, Mary strategically led the social enterprise through a challenging external environment at a challenging time for many small businesses. Less than a year into her new role, the Covid pandemic emerged, causing significant uncertainty for staff, producers and customers as well as disruption in global supply chains. The war in Ukraine and cost-of-living crisis soon followed. Despite the challenges, under Mary’s leadership, True Origin generated over £2.3million in sales income that included £733,000 worth of Kilombero rice from Malawi. That’s equivalent to 245 tonnes or nearly 5 million servings of rice! The sale of the rice provides families in Malawi, one of the least developed countries in the world, with sustainable incomes and better food security. Mary played an instrumental role in rolling out the social enterprise’s rebrand and positioning the organisation as the go-to place for fair and fine products under the new True Origin banner. The product range subsequently increased during her tenure, solidifying True Origin’s reputation in the fine foods market. New products included a range of condiments such the soon-to-become both a customer favourite and one of Mary’s favourite products, sun-dried fig balsamic reduction as well as the popular beer bread of which over 150,000 packets were sold during her term. Mary’s leadership as Chair will also be remembered for her values-led approach, guiding the organisation to decisions with its founding fair trade principles in mind and the interests of producers always at the forefront. She invested time in expanding the board’s skillset and further developing the organisation’s robust governance procedures, upholding True Origin’s commitment to transparency with its stakeholders and leaving the organisation in a strong position to tackle future challenges. She also brought an instinctive knowledge of Fair Trade customers in Scotland and beyond to the role.
Our former Operations Manager and now volunteer, Liam McLaughlin caught up with Kenneth Mwakasungula on the challenges of being a Kilombero Rice farmer
R eflections on the recent visit of Howard Msukwa, Rice Farmer from Kaporo Smallholder Farmer Association (KASFA)
Jade and Nicola visit some of the Woman Farmer Foundation farmers to learn more about their crops and farming techniques and some of the challenges they face.
Nicola and Jade visit Eswatini Kitchen and the Woman Farmer Foundation.