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SOFA (Small Organic Farmers Association Sri Lanka)

In March 2005, we were honored to play host to Mr. R.M. Wijesinghe, Vice-President of SOFA during his visit to Toronto. His trip to Canada (Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia) was sponsored by Transfair Canada and Equiterre in Quebec. The objective of this visit was to help promote Fair Trade tea in Canada. The consumption of fair Trade tea lags far behind coffee. We organized a number of events where the public was invited to hear the SOFA story.

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[History] [A Typical Member Farm] [Marketing Partner] [Fair Trade] [Growth of SOFA] [Benefits of Fair Trade]

History

SOFA was established in 1997. Its members are small-scale tea growers working land most of which was formerly a state-run tea plantation. In the 1980's this estate was inefficiently managed and loosing money and the government decided to parcel out the estate into one half to one acre blocks and gave it to the estate workers. The entire estate has now been sold off or abandoned. Some SOFA members continue to work on neighboring estates to make ends meet. These smallholding blocks are located near the town of Gampola, around 40 minutes drive from Kandy, which is about four and a half hour drive north east of the Colombo.

A Typical Member Farm

Typically, each smallholding block is about one hectare in size, of which about three-quarters is dedicated to tea production. Each farm is a rich bio-diverse haven: There is an intercropping of many different plant species. Some of the other crops include: coffee, cloves, pepper vines, vanilla, lemon grass, citronella for oil, medicinal herbs such as neem tree (known as 'the village pharmacy' due to its many healing properties).

Shade trees are planted on each farm and low hedges are strategically interspersed to stop soil erosion. Various varieties of shrubs are plants are used to attract /repel insects. Vegetables such as chilies, beans, tomatoes and eggplants are planted in the farms for local consumption.

Each block produces around 925kg of green tea leaves each year. Tea provides 40%-60% of farmers' income, depending on what other cash crops they grow. Many SOFA farmers also work as laborers in construction, factories and adjoining tea plantations to supplement their income.

Marketing Partner

Bio Foods (PVT) Ltd. in Sri Lanka was instrumental in helping setup SOFA. Bio Foods' main area of expertise is organic farming, harvesting and processing quality teas, spices and fruits. Bio Foods has gained a good reputation as a quality export in the European market.

In 1993 Bio Foods helped setup "The Small Organic Farmers' Welfare Project" which was the predecessor of SOFA. Since 1997, SOFA (its member farms) has been certified organic by Skal Intl. according to EEC 2092/91, USDA (NOP), JAS, BIOSUISSE and NATURLAND standards. All member farms of SOFA must be certified organic.

Bio Foods has been a Fair Trade certified supplier since 1997. In Canada, SOFA tea is imported by JustUs in Nova Scotia, Oxfam Quebec in Montreal and Bridgehead in Ottawa. Bio Foods buys all the tea produced by SOFA farmers. They are guaranteed the prices set up the Fair Trade Labeling Organization (FLO).

Fair Trade

The Fair Trade system is crucial to the farmers of SOFA:

• Farmers are the most disadvantage group in Sri Lankan society — their income levels are very low (Less than $1 US per Day).
• They are small land holders who have to compete against large estate plantation producers.
• They need Assistance in land , economical and social development which helps them to develop a sustainable organic farming community.

Growth of SOFA

Membership in SOFA has been growing since its inception.

Growth of SOFA

Year	1997	2004
No. of branch societies	4	18
No. of farmers/members	183	765
Land extent	80 hectares	428 hectares

Benefits of Fair Trade

The Fair Trade premium expenditures have been growing substantially for the past three years as shown in the chart below.

Growth of the Fair Trade premium expenditures

Year	2002	2003	2004
Fair Trade premium expenditures	Rs.375,364	Rs.871,789	Rs.1,291,993

The fair trade premiums have allowed SOFA to undertake a number of crucial projects for its membership

Land / Agricultural Development

• Provide dolomite to rectify Soil pH — distributed annually
• Compost preparation units
  • Heap method
  • Vermicompost bins
  • Vermy wash
• Purchase farms animals such as goats and cows for the members. This provides milk and the animal waste is used as fertilizer.
• Each year provide seedlings to the members.
• Distribute tea seedlings each year in the month of May (50 - 150 plants per farmer depending on fund availability).
• Other seedlings provided such as Neem, Lemon Grass, Vanilla, Cinnamon and Lime.
• Tea Plants Nurseries such as establishing tea nurseries within the farmer community itself.
• Agricultural equipment such as:
  • Mammoties, Knives, Forks, Crow bars, Slashing knives, pruning knives
  • Grass Cutters
  • Spray tanks(Foliar sprays)
• Distribute bee keeping units. The honey provides extra income for the families.
• Various forms of training such as:
  • Field Demonstrations — Pruning, Composting and Soil Conservation measures
  • Bee keeping
  • Field Demonstrations — Pruning, Composting, Bio diversity maintenance and Soil Conservation measures
  • Organic Agricultural activities
  • Field Visits

Members Welfare Activities

• Home repairs up to 5000 Rs. for the poorest farm family in each block society.
• Provide movable shelters / tents such as:
  • Roofing sheets
  • Chairs
    (These items are used in cultural & social activities such as meetings, weddings and funerals in the village / family)
• Credit Programs such as:
  • Financial support for Self employment
  • Tea packing, sewing machines, etc
• Farmer awareness programs
• Community centers / leaf collecting center
• Leadership training - Fair trade, Organic farming
• Women development programs such as:
  • Environmentally friendly packing material, which provides additional income for the farmer family.

Social Activities

• Health Camps
• Religious activities such as donations to temples
• Children educational support Programs such as donations of books & stationeries etc
• Drinking water supply projects
• Help in rural infrastructure development through branch societies
• Helping children societies
• Building and maintaining roads in the community