vea la versión en español a continuación
Iâve always been impressed by the way Bolivians adapt creatively to new situations. The other day Ana and I went to a farmersâ fair in the small town of Colcapirhua, near Cochabamba. The fair was due to be held in the charming main square of the town. Paved in flagstones, closed to through traffic and with steps leading up to a small church it would have been a delightful venue. But local townspeople were already there, angrily but peacefully protesting about alleged corruption in their town council.
The protesters were there to stay, so the farmers moved their fair two blocks south, where they strung out their stands on an empty side lane along the main highway between Cochabamba and La Paz. It was less picturesque, but there were more potential customers passing by.
The farmers selling goods represented organized groups from all regions of Bolivia. The fair was actually part of the annual meeting of the National Soils Platform, which had chosen âfair tradeâ as its annual theme. As we moved up the line of stalls, the farmers were keen to sell us a wide range of goods that were not only high quality, but also unique, such as strawberries from the valleys of Santa Cruz, oven dried to sweet perfection.
Coffee growers from the Amazon (parts of which are cool enough for coffee) had brought little plastic bags of coffee seed. âReady to plant!â they exclaimed, eager to encourage other farmers to start growing their own coffee. Cacao farmers from the Beni had bitter, white and milk chocolate. There was real pleasure in buying chocolate from the people who had made it from the cacao beans that they grew themselves.
There were tiny puffed grains of amaranth (ready to eat like cold cereal), fresh cherimoyas (a native fruitâbut of a small, sweet variety that is now hard to find). Some farmers from Chuquisaca had a local variety of chilli that was so hot, it is called âla gran putita (the great little whore)â. We had to buy some.
There was traditional food, like an aged cowâs cheese from the warm valley of Comarapa. It tasted marvelous, but the smell of cow was not for beginners.
What struck me the most was how many of the products were new, and inventive. Things you wouldnât find in the supermarket in Cochabamba, such as dried apples, preserved peaches still on the stone (moist and sweet but with no sugar added). Quinoa and wheat were packed in neat plastic bags, with labels, ready to make into soup.
We have said in a previous blog that smallholders with attractive products struggle to produce equally attractive labels, which by law often have to list ingredients. Here, the chocolate was wrapped in handsome paper with a printed label.
My favorite was the apple vinegar, in recycled Mexican beer bottles. The farmers had covered the beer label with a new paper one, proudly explaining that this vintage was made from just three ingredients: organic apples, raw cane sugar with no additives, and water. The bottles were neatly sealed with bright yellow bottle caps.
Most of these farmersâ associations have received support, often from their parish priest or from Church-sponsored NGOs, some with volunteers from Europe and elsewhere. Outside help in manufacturing and packaging had clearly contributed to the quality of the goods, but the farmers were self-motivated to sell their goods. Agriculture is in large measure about producing something to sell.
Although this was an event on fair trade, there was no mention of being certified as fair trade. One speaker the first day had mentioned some of the hurdles that keep smallholders from being able to qualify for fair trade certification, and this group had readily agreed with her.
This group of smallholders certainly understood one basic idea, marketing means you must have something nice to sell: attractive, high quality and well presented. Farmers across the globe deserve a fair price for their products, and smart marketing helps to achieve this.
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ALGO BONITO PARA VENDER
por Jeff Bentley, 15 de abril del 2018
Los bolivianos siempre me han impresionado con su habilidad de adaptarse creativamente a las nuevas situaciones. El otro dĂa fui con Ana a una feria agrĂcola en el pueblito de Colcapirhua, cerca de Cochabamba. La feria tenĂa que realizarse en la linda plaza del pueblo. Enlozada, cerrada al trĂĄfico de autos y con una capilla sobre una colina, hubiera sido un lugar encantador. Pero algunos vecinos del pueblo ya estaban allĂ, protestando pacĂficamente pero molestos contra la supuesta corrupciĂłn de sus concejales.
La protesta no se movĂa, asĂ que los agricultores trasladaron su feria dos cuadras al sur, donde colocaron sus carpas en una fila en un camino vacĂo al lado de la carretera principal entre Cochabamba y La Paz. El lugar no era tan pintoresco, pero sĂ habĂa mĂĄs compradores que pasaban a pie.
Los agricultores representaban a grupos organizados de todas las regiones de Bolivia. En realidad, la feria era parte de la reuniĂłn anual de la Plataforma Nacional de Suelos, que habĂa escogido a âcomercio justoâ como su tema anual. Al caminar por los puestos, los agricultores estaban con ganas de vender una amplia gama de productos que no solamente eran de buena calidad, pero tambiĂ©n Ășnicos, como las frutillas (fresas) de los valles de Santa Cruz, secadas a la perfecciĂłn en horno.
Caficultores de la AmazonĂa (partes de la cual son tan frescas que se puede cultivar cafĂ©) habĂan traĂdo bolsitas de semilla de cafĂ©. âÂĄListo para el almĂĄcigo!â exclamaron, felices de animar a otros a producir su propio cafĂ©. Productores del Beni tenĂan chocolate amargo, blanco y con leche. Dio gusto comprar chocolate de la gente que lo hizo, a partir de granos de los cacao que ellos mismos cosecharon.
HabĂan pipocas de amaranto. HabĂan chirimoyas (un fruto nativoâpero de una dulce variedad pequeña que cuesta encontrar). Algunos de Chuquisaca tenĂan una variedad local de ajĂ tan picante que le llamaban âla gran putitaâ. HabĂa que comprar un poco.
TambiĂ©n habĂa comida tradicional, como un queso añejo de leche de vaca del valle bajo de Comarapa. El sabor era maravilloso, pero el olor a vaca no era para principiantes.
Lo que mĂĄs me impresionĂł era que muchos de los productos eran nuevos e innovadores. Cosas que no se encuentran en el supermercado de Cochabamba, como manzanas secas, duraznos preservados con la pepa (hĂșmedos y dulces sin azĂșcar agregado). Quinua y trigo en bolsas impresas con etiquetas ya estaban listos para hacer sopa.
En un blog previo hemos dicho que los campesinos luchan para hacer etiquetas dignas de sus lindos productos. Por ley las etiquetas tienen que describir los ingredientes. Por ejemplo el chocolate estaba envuelto en un papel hermoso con una etiqueta impresa.
Mi favorito era el vinagre de manzana, en botellas recicladas de cerveza mexicana. Los agricultores habĂan tapado la etiqueta original con una de papel, orgullosamente explicando que esta vendimia se hacĂa Ășnicamente a partir de tres ingredientes: manzanas orgĂĄnicas, chancaca pura, y agua. Las botellas llevaban una tapa metĂĄlica de amarillo brillante.
La mayorĂa de esas asociaciones rurales han recibido apoyo, a menudo de su parroquia o de ONGs vinculados a la Iglesia, algunos con voluntarios de Europa y otros lados. La ayuda de forasteros en la manufactura y el envase sĂ habĂa contribuido a la calidad de los bienes, pero los agricultores estaban auto-motivados a vender sus productos. La agricultora en gran medida se trata de producir algo para vender.
A pesar de que el evento se trataba del comercio justo, no habĂa menciĂłn de hacerse certificar como comercio justo. Una expositora el primer dĂa mencionĂł varios de los obstĂĄculos que previenen que los campesinos puedan certificarse, y este grupo habĂa estado plenamente de acuerdo con ella.
Estos campesinos organizados tenĂan bien claro que el comercio consiste en tener algo bonito para vender: atractivo, de alta calidad y bien presentada. Las familias campesinas en todo el mundo merecen un precio justo por sus productos, y el mercadeo inteligente les ayuda a lograrlo.
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