Miguel Mateo Sebastian, a fair trade coffee farmer from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, will visit the Brattleboro Food Co-op on Wednesday, April 16, at 4 p.m., as part of a regional Fair Trade farmer tour.
He will also speak at 10 a.m. that day at Keene State College. Both are free events, open to all.
Sponsored by FairTrade USA, Fair Trade Towns Brattleboro, and the Keene State College Fair Trade Club, Mateo will talk about cooperatives, climate change, food security, and the thin months: the times between coffee harvests, when food and income are scarce.
A brief documentary, “After the Harvest,” will be screened, highlighting the hardships Fair Trade coffee farmers face as they struggle with poverty and food scarcity.
Once among the most impoverished and disadvantaged members of their country, following more than a decade of Fair Trade participation and development Fair Trade farmers now enjoy improved lives, better educated children, supported communities, stability and export market access.
Fair Trade is a voluntary approach to more equal global trade, working to ensure that member coffee farmers are paid a reasonable minimum price for their coffee, regardless of how low global market prices may drop.
Moreover, such farmers receive social premium funds that help support infrastructure programs and provide regional support to both Fair Trade and non-Fair Trade farmers.
That said, Fair Trade is hard, seasonal work, and can notmeet all farmers' needs on its own. Mateo, a 15-year veteran of Fair Trade coffee farming, will share his professional and personal experiences and answer audience questions.
Mateo is a native Mayan speaker with a bachelor's degree in community development. He is part of the management team of Manos Campesinos, a co-operative of more than 1,073 Fair Trade coffee farmers.
The Keene State College presentation will be held in the Student Center at the Madison Street Lounge. The Brattleboro presentation takes place in the Brattleboro Food Co-op Community Room.