Meet the farmers - Solomon Wiafe
This month we take a look at one of our most enterprising farmers in the Blue Skies farmer group. Solomon Wiafe is 32 and is married to a nurse. He had his second daughter a couple of days ago (he has two daughters). Golden River Side Ltd is his farm name and he was born into pineapple farming. Solomon is a graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, specializing in Biological Science. He sojourned in the United Kingdom for a couple of months after his National Service and returned home to join his father and uncle who were into commercial pineapple production at Annhunten Farms. Owing to his expertise he took over as the General Manager of the farm until 2008 when he started his own farm – Golden River Side Ltd (GRS).
Currently his total cropped area is close to 20 ha (50acres) and he plants between 10000- and 20000 suckers weekly. Deliveries of pineapple fruits per week is about 3000. He was persuaded to join the Blue Skies farmer group a year before he registered his farm and has been very consistent. He hopes to plant until all his available land is exhausted.
GRS Farm Ltd was adjudged the best Municipal Farm in Ghana for 2011. He says this has helped him gain national recognition.
By Shakespeare Djokoto, Agronomy Department Blue Skies Ghana
Six reasons to find out where your product came from
The decisions we make everyday about the products we buy can help shape the future of our planet for better or for worse. The way every product is made, transported, traded and consumed can have an impact on people and the environment, and this may have consequences for generations to come. Below are six impacts often associated with the making of some products.
1. Pollution and Waste
The process by which a product is farmed, mined, manufactured, packaged, transported or consumed can produce pollution and waste which is harmful to people and the environment.
Some manufacturing processes contribute more pollution and waste than others, and some producers take measures to minimize and offset any pollution or waste that they produce. But how can we know if the products we buy aren’t causing long-term irreversible damage to our planet?
2. Sweat shops
Some products might come from factories where people have to work in difficult or dangerous conditions. People working in sweatshops often work long hours for very low pay, regardless of laws mandating overtime pay or a minimum wage. Some products however might come from factories that look after their employees and create a comfortable environment to work in. So how can we be sure that the products we buy don’t come from sweatshops?
3. Child labour
Some products might have been made using child labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries where it is seen as denying children of their rights to an education. Many products however might have come from companies that take measures to ensure child labour is never used. But how can we be sure that the products we buy haven’t involved the employment of children?
4. Animal Welfare
Some products might come from factories or farms that do not work to high standards of animal welfare. Selective breeding and genetic engineering, along with poor conditions and mistreatment (including confinement, overcrowding and over-feeding) can cause great suffering to animals throughout their short life span. Some products however come from companies that take great care to look after the welfare of animals throughout the process of production. So how do we know that the products we buy have not been made in a way that causes suffering to animals?
5. Food Safety
Some products might come from farms or factories which do not take sufficient measures in the handling, preparation, storage and transport of food to prevent food-borne illnesses. Many products however come from companies that work to extremely high standards of quality and care to ensure that food is produced as safely as possible. But how can we know which of the products we buy come from suppliers that work to decent standards of food safety?
6. Fair trade
Fair trade is about ensuring everyone involved in the making of a product receives enough money to cover the sustainable cost of production, so that things like child labour, pollution and waste can be minimized, and measures can be afforded to ensure high standards in areas such as animal welfare, food safety and employee well-being. So how can we be certain that the price we are paying for a product is enough to ensure that everyone in the supply chain gets a fair deal?
These are only some of the issues that are affected by the way different products are made; there are many more impacts we could examine such as their dependency on resources like oil and water, and how they might contribute to creating or alleviating poverty. Currently it is very difficult to know the true impact of many of the products we buy every day, but if we knew more about where they came from then, as consumers, we might be able to make more informed choices and therefore make a greater contribution to the future of our planet.
So please join our campaign to Trace for Change by liking our facebook page. Click here to join our campaign.
Trace your clothes with Icebreaker’s Baacode
Icebreaker, an outdoor clothing company that specialises in using merino wool, has developed an online tool to allow customers to trace their products. Called the ‘Baacode’ the site allows you to find out where your garment came from and meet some of the people who made it. The site also features information on sustainability issues such as animal welfare, the environment and manufacturing ethics.
Meet the farmers - Moses Gameti
Our series on Farmers’ Profile continues this year with Gamosa Farms. His real name is Moses Gameti (pictured) and he holds a HND (Higher National Diploma) in Mechanical Engineering. The 29 year old farmer is the youngest of the Blue Skies Pineapple Farmer group and he currently resides with his wife at Fotobi which is close to Nsawam.
Moses was born into a family of pineapple growers but weaned himself from his dad about 6 years ago to join the BS pineapple group. His current weekly pineapple delivery for both MD2 and smooth Cayenne to the factory is between 3000–4000 fruits.
Presently he plants close to 5000 suckers of both varieties a week. He plans to maintain this pace while he pursues a course in Management with computing at Regent University of Science and Technology in Accra. In his free time he presents a music programme on one of the Local FM stations in his community. His hobbies include reading and listening to music. His wish is for Blue Skies to continue being in existence to facilitate their operations and bring about continuous job creation in their communities.
His total planted acreage is 15 acres. This is made up of 9 acres of MD2 pineapple and 6 acres of Smooth Cayenne pineapple. He soon hopes to become one of the best pineapple farmers in the country.
Moses supplies Waitrose prepared pineapple which can be traced at Caretrace. Find out more at http://www.caretrace.com/item.aspx?product=10
By Shakespeare Djokoto, Agronomy Department, Blue Skies Ghana.
Discover the story of Riso Gallo rice
Riso Gallo rice goes to great lengths on its packaging to tell the story of its products. On the back of the pack is a little flap which you can lift to reveal information about the history of the company.
This is what it says inside:
“The Riso Gallo story begins in 1856 in Genoa with a man called Giovanni Battista, and today, some 150 years later, his direct descendants in the sixth generation are still running the business, now located in Robbio Lomellina.
Riso Gallo produces rice in the Northern Po Valley, the only authentic risotto rice growing region and the single biggest rice growing area in Europe.
The interaction of climate, soil type, landscape and local workers, whose know how has been crafted by centuries of passion, ensure the uniqueness of Riso Gallo products.
The Italian passion for food, with the use of natural and fresh ingredients, is recognised the world over. The dish of risotto embodies this approach, with the use of just rice, onions, a knob of butter, stock, and local fresh ingredients, being all you need for a complete meal, the perfect balance of creaminess and “al dente” texture.”
For recipes and further information www.risogallo.com
Discover the story of Good African Coffee
In 2003, Ugandan entrepreneur Andrew Rugasira had an idea; he believed that it was time for Africans to process and market their own products globally and use trade as a means to bring about the sustainable development so desperately needed by the farmers and communities.
That same year Andrew and a small team of dedicated colleagues travelled to western Uganda, a region that once produced quality coffees, but had over the years suffered from poor farming practices and low prices. Seeing the potential, the Good African team began organizing the farmers into producer groups. The team then embarked on an intensive program of best practices training for the farmers to produce quality Arabica coffees that would ensure a better return on their harvest. Today, we are proud to say that more than 14000 farmers have joined our network of suppliers.
Read the full story at http://www.goodafrican.com/index.php/our-story.html
Discover the story of Divine Chocolate
In 1998 Divine launched the first ever Fairtrade chocolate bar aimed at the masses on to the UK market. The company is 45% owned by the farmer cooperative who produce the cocoa in Ghana. You can find out about the story of Divine and discover the incredible journey from ‘bean to bar’ at http://www.divinechocolate.com/about/story.aspx
This is an excellent video made by WREN Media as part of a project led by Waitrose and backed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to promote the environmental standard LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) in Africa. The video follows the production of prepared fresh pineapple by a company called Blue Skies in Ghana.
Discover the story of organic Prepared Coconut
Blue Skies organic prepared coconut is farmed in Ghana by two cooperatives of organic growers. The coconut is harvested only once it has fallen from the tree when the flesh is dry. Traditionally the coconut is cut from the tree whilst the flesh is still moist. This is preferred by locals over the drier, harder-fleshed coconut.
Kweku Agbedu is an organic coconut farmer from the farming community of Vanderpuye in the Central Region of Ghana. Kweku is married with four children and has been farming coconut for over 40 years. He says since they started selling to coconut for processing by Blue Skies the farmers have received a lot of education related to organic farming. There are 21 farmers in total who with their families each share a portion of Canaan farms.
Once the coconuts have been harvested, the husks are removed at the farm before they are delivered to the nearby Blue Skies factory. At the factory the coconuts are taken out of their ‘hairy’ shells and cut into pieces by hand. They are then packed and delivered to supermarkets in Europe often within 48 hours.
Caretrace your coconut at: http://www.caretrace.com/item.aspx?product=16
Above: Kweku Agbedu from Canaan Farms
Welcome to our new blog
Welcome to our blog. We want this to be a space for telling stories about the products we love, and posting the latest news on traceability and product tracking technology.
If you have any news or stories you would like to contribute, please send them to simon.derrick@caretrace.com
