Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 14.4 United Farm Workers of America - an example
of meso-systemic learning (UFW 2001)
The United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO and community allies are working on a
new initiative with nationally renowned consultants, major retailers, and local growers to
develop a formula that will ensure a greater return to the farm gate, guaranteeing fair
prices, justice, and dignity to Washington State farmers and farm workers.
The initiative is guided by the principles that farmers should earn a fair return for their
investment and farm workers deserve just wages and decent work conditions.
Contractual agreements between the United Farm Workers, willing growers and retailers
will guarantee that the grower and farm workers get a fair share of the consumer dollar.
A collectively bargained contract between the grower and the workers will ensure safe
and just conditions for the workers. However, consumer support, commitment, and
demand is key! We need to demonstrate to retailers and growers that consumers, like
you, will buy apples - that mean fairness to growers and farm workers! We believe that a
significant number of consumers care about what you eat, how it is produced, and
whether those who produce and harvest your food can sustain themselves. Show
Washington State farm workers that you care!
When looking at social responsibility issues, many require a systems approach to arrive at
sustainable solutions. Macro level learning is complex and hard to organise, and examples of
multilevel, systemic, chain-oriented learning (MLSCL) are rare, certainly within the context
of organic farming. Most multinational companies such as McDonalds, Unilever and Nike,
considered to be operating successfully at a global scale, owe their success to creating tightly
knit chains that respond quickly to changes in the global economy. Although the added value
of these chain-oriented companies tends to be limited to economic value and the distribution
Box 14.5 Social Accountability in Sustainable Agriculture
(SASA) Project as an example of systemic learning (SASA
2005)
The SASA Project was a two-year initiative (February 2002-April 2004) of the ISEAL
Alliance undertaken by four platform members: IFOAM, SAI, SAN and FLO. The project
was coordinated by Sasha Courville at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Nine audit exercises on nine different production systems provided shared learning
experiences in a variety of contexts that fed steering committee discussions and learning.
Pilot audits included: bananas in Costa Rica, mixed farms in Italy, orange juice in Brazil,
rice in Thailand, flowers in Colombia, mangoes in Burkina Faso, strawberries in the USA,
coffee in Costa Rica, and cotton in Uganda. Participants in the audits included
representatives from each of the participating organisations at many levels: producers,
internal inspectors and extension workers, certification bodies, standard-setting bodies
and researchers.
Outcomes of the project included documents with recommendations on the following
topics:
• standards;
• collaboration opportunities among participating organisations; and
• Internal Control Systems for small producers in developing countries.
Steering Committee members are presented the SASA recommendations to their Boards.
