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Southern Alternatives Agricultural Co-op |
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Southwest Georgia, USA
The challenges facing small farmers in the US are even more severe for African Americans. In 1920, 1 in 7 farmers were black; by 1998, just 1 in 100. In this context, the members of SAAC have endured, preserving opportunity for farmers and workers in rural Georgia. A group of devoted women in the community kept the operation alive for years when it was difficult to find a committed buyer for their products.
The idea of a partnership among Equal Exchange, SAAC and the Federation of Southern Co-operatives (FOSC) began with an exchange of stories, goals and dreams. A grant from Equal Exchange and additional support from Oxfam America helped to refurbish equipment. FOSC's SW Georgia office, the Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education and the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative provided crucial organizational assistance to SAAC, while Equal Exchange supplied business, financial and marketing support.
Thanks to an extraordinary amount of collaboration, trust and faith, the first shipment of pecans left SAAC's warehouse in Georgia in the Fall of 2006, destined for Equal Exchange customers across the country. Southern Alternatives is Equal Exchange's first trading partner for pecans. We use a blend of Schley, Stewart and Van Deman varieties in our tasty Roasted Salted Pecans
- Read "A Georgia Dream", a trip report from Sarah Belfort.
- Read Fair trade nourishes Georgia pecan farmers", from the New York Teacher.
- Diann Johnson, on what she would like consumers to know about being a small farmer in the U.S. and how her family has benefitted from Domestic Fair Trade through Equal Exchange:
I am so blessed. Thank you for making my life different. Small farmers grow nuts that are just as good, but we can't compete [in the market]. With Fair Trade, I am able to make a decent living. I bought a home. I can spend time with my husband. We can take trips. Without Fair Trade, we would not be able to pay our loan.
Through Equal Exchange, we know that we'll receive a set price and we can count on that income. Anything that we can't sell through Equal Exchange we bring to auction, but we don't know what price our nuts will receive as there's a different price each day. Also, through Equal Exchange, we can receive pre-harvest loans. When Equal Exchange started working with Southern Alternatives, we could employ so many people in the area. I know one woman who lost her husband and was able to step up and support her family.
In our area, when most of the kids leave high school, joining the military is a popular option. There are not a lot of jobs in this part of Georgia. All the major places have shut down. In this area, all we have going is the prison system.
Fair Trade is new. Me and my husband, we're all about change, especially now that we’re reaping the harvest. You have to set your determination and think how you're going to make changes for yourself.
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Bobby & Diann Johnson of SAAC |
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Farmer Partners 
