Manduvirá cooperative, founded in 1975, is located in the village of Arroyos y Esteros (Streams and Swamps) in the southwest of Paraguay. Life for farmers is tough here as the region is remote and isolated, farms are small and incomes are unreliable. The plots of land they own are constantly being divided into smaller and smaller plots because farming families want to have at least a small piece of land to hand down to each of their children.
The aim of the cooperative is to support its members in marketing their sugar cane and other crops and provide a range of services such as credit and savings facilities, welfare programmes, technical support and agricultural training. The growth in membership of Manduvirá has been rapid – rising from under 200 initially to over 1,000 in 2006 – due to the success of the organisation in supporting local farmers.
More info: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/producers/sugar/manduvira_cooperative_paraguay/default.aspx
Products: Sugar