A few weeks ago, our partners at C-2-C (Community-to-Community), Rosalinda Guillen and Erin Thompson, travelled to Wisconsin to participate in a historic meeting of the Domestic Fair Trade Association (DFTA).  Farmers, farmworkers, traders, processors, marketers and food system advocates sat down as equals to bring fair trade home to the US.  The 35 founding members agreed to make it their mission to: "Promote and protect the integrity of Domestic Fair Trade principles through education, marketing, advocacy and endorsements."

The DFTA is a coalition of 35 businesses, including marketing and retail coops, farmer, farmworker and indigenous peoples associations, and civil society organizations devoted to organic agriculture and coop development. In addition to Organic Valley, the hosts of the gathering, DFTA counts among its members the Northeast Organic Farming Association, Equal Exchange, the White Earth Land Recovery Project, Centro Campesino, CATA, the Rural Advancement Foundation International, the Organic Consumers Association, the Farmer Direct Coop, Whatcom County based Community to Community, the Olympia Food Co-op and the National Cooperative Grocers Association.

The coalition believes that:

"The food system functions like a healthy community where neighbors look after and support each other, everyone feels safe, and all contribute to a clean and harmonious environment.  Family-scale and community-scale farms thrive.  All participants in the food system understand the realities, challenges, and effects of food production and distribution and choose to support fair trade every way they can."

During the course of the meeting, the DFTA did the following:

• Amended and approved the Mission and Vision statement, and Bylaws
• Approved the addition of the Newest member, Honest Weight Co-op
• Approved a peer review process and associate membership proposals
• Took an initial immigration policy reform position to conform with DFT principles and agreed to take a more detailed position in the next four months
• Elected the 2009 Board of Directors.

To learn more or apply for membership, please visit the DFTA website.