Donate to our Small Farmer Fund
With the help of our network, we can keep vital farmer-led projects alive. 100% of your donation—whether large or small—goes to co-op development projects that offer much needed support to our farmer partners as they face unprecedented market and climate challenges.
Our history with co-op development work
Equal Exchange has a long history of working with small farmer co-operatives outside of our traditional role as a buyer. We have supported and implemented a number of projects and grant programs that complement our commercial activities while providing support to our co-operative partners, who continue to face unprecedented challenges.
Over the last decade, we have been engaged in a USAID program known as the Cooperative Development Program (CDP), working with more than a dozen cooperatives in six different countries on productivity, governance, quality, gender equity, youth inclusion, and adaptation to climate change. We have successfully helped co-ops to bring about systemic change, build capacity, innovate, and train current and future leaders. The work has been collaborative, and the impact has been far-reaching across coffee, cacao, banana, and sugar producer co-ops.
The impact of lost USAID funding
Despite real reservations, we decided to enter into a contractual agreement with the US government and USAID in 2010. Once the contract was made, both sides were obligated to each other, and we took those obligations seriously. This agreement lasted through several administrations and funding cycles and led to real benefits to our farmer partners. The government then broke the contract and left Equal Exchange and our farmer partners holding the bag. It was unethical and a breach of contract. We are now trying to rebuild this meaningful program without being dependent on the government.
We are determined to find a way forward and preserve key elements of our CDP project work at whatever scale we can reliably fund. We have seen the impact that these programs can make on co-operative communities to bring about change, and it is important to build on this success.
In the wake of the termination of USAID programs and our CDP funding, we are looking at funding alternatives that are reliable, consistent, and support the needs of our partners. It has prompted us to think about these grants differently and take matters into our own hands.
Seeking a new path
With the help of our network, we are embarking on a new journey, the Small Farmer Fund, as a way to pool community resources and continue working in these important areas of development.
We will continue to provide programs and resources to support the following goals:
- Provide additional support to small-scale farmers in the face of unstable and unfair markets, changing weather patterns, and corporate consolidation.
- Build stable and equitable livelihoods around the globe.
- Build strong opportunities for farmers to stay on their land.
- Build an adaptive and responsive exchange between our farmer network and our customer network as we continue to bring to market the delicious products you know and love.
With your help, we will work to build on our successes from the last decade and find innovative ways to support our farmer partners and their co-ops.
Learn more about the history of the Cooperative Development Program on our Resource Center.
Examples of past projects
Soil health initiatives
Compost and fertilizer programs for cooperatives to provide improved organic inputs to their farmer members.
Gender equity programs
Inter-cooperative trainings that led to more inclusion of women and to the development of gender equity and sexual harassment policies.
Youth inclusion projects
Diversification programs such as youth-led ecotourism, beekeeping, and chicken-raising projects to encourage the next generation of co-op participation.What farmer co-ops are saying
“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the entire CDP team and Equal Exchange for inviting us to be part of the program. Thank you for the lessons learned and exchanges where we met with PPOs from Guatemala, Peru, and Paraguay, and valuable people with extensive experience, from whom we learned their processes and replicated their initiatives based on our needs and possibilities. On behalf of all the members, representatives, and technical team, we are infinitely grateful for helping us grow as an organization. We hope for better times to come and that we can one day resume our journey together.
“Today, we address you with hearts full of gratitude and admiration for the invaluable support you have given us along this journey. Thanks to your dedication, commitment, and strong spirit of collaboration, our cooperative of small banana producers not only managed to emerge, but also consolidate itself as a strong organization, with solid foundations in governance and good management. Your support has been a light on our journey over these years, guiding us with wisdom, empathy, and simplicity to face challenges and seize opportunities. Every lesson, every piece of advice, and every moment shared has left an indelible mark on our organization and on each of us.”
“We express our deep gratitude for having us participate in your collaborative work over the past few years. It has been a continuous learning experience for our team, and you have served as a link to other experiences and realities that enriched and strengthened our capacities to continue to uphold the cooperative principles. With Equal Exchange, we have overcome various economic, cultural, social, environmental, and health challenges, both locally and internationally.”
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Add a donation amount to your cart and complete the checkout process, no additional purchases needed.
We welcome donations of any size! If you are thinking about making a large donation, feel free to reach out directly by email to smallfarmerfund@equalexchange.coop
Yes! Consider purchasing products by the case and reselling them with a markup to raise money for the Small Farmer Fund. You can donate when purchasing your items or after your fundraiser is complete.
Yes. Make checks payable to “Equal Exchange” with “Small Farmer Fund” in the memo. Mail checks to:
Equal Exchange
attn: Small Farmer Fund
50 United Drive
West Bridgewater, MA 02379
Yes. Call our Customer Service team at (774) 776-7366.
No, donations are not tax-deductible. We need to keep our ability to fund projects as flexible as possible. Making donations tax-deductible would limit recipients and add barriers, especially for international projects like ours.
Be sure to stay connected by subscribing to our email list. We’ll share project updates and invites to Small Farmer Fund webinars.
For many years, we had a Small Farmer Fund in collaboration with 13 denominational partnerships within our Interfaith network. In the past, the Small Farmer Fund channeled resources through the development arms of those partners. Now, we are excited to channel resources directly to our farmer partners through Equal Exchange.