Fair Trade In The Ruwenzori Region, Uganda

Joseph Mbusa in front of his home, built with fair trade vanilla funds.

There is something different about fair trade products, compared to the usual type of trade between nations. Many times regular trade involves someone in the middle siphoning off profits, or a factory farm, which may employ locals or immigrants via labor brokers, providing shabby living and working conditions.

Fair trade, on the other hand, utilizes goods raised or made by local producers, with all of the funds being divided among the producers. Sometimes, there are local associations that share profits and supplies, such as the Mubuku Vanilla Farmers Association (MVFA), which has about 1,000 members who provide farm products from the Ruwenzori region of Uganda. Some of the highest quality vanilla is grown in that area, with a total of 16 metric tons of fair trade vanilla provided internationally every year. The association also embraces fourteen vanilla farming cooperatives.



Although fair trade and the MVFA offer ways to market local farm products, many of the families remain at the poverty level and very few children have access to education. So, such market factors as reduced prices for their vanilla affect the quality of life. Even with a growing population of children, the number of schools available have not kept up with demand.

Under the chairmanship of Joseph Mbusa, MVFA has tried to fill in gaps with various programs. For instance, farmers were trained in various organic farming techniques, such as composting, water management, prevention of soil erosion, and the use of buffer zones. They also used some of their funds to establish the Karugutu Health Clinic and an emergency health fund, which are able to address a limited number of health care needs. In addition, the association has done such things in the area of education as replacing the roof of a local school and provided specialist academic scholarships to a few members.

When Mr. Mbusa remembered the struggles in his own life with education, he thought back to the kerosene candles used to see schoolwork after dark. That method of lighting, though, has health risks for children, who breathe in the fumes. So, as funds become available, solar power is being provided to households that aren't on any type of power grid. As Joseph says, "The project will improve on the health of the people."

Farmers from MVFA sorting vanilla pods.

As for the impact of fair trade on the lives of the farmers, Lulu Sturdy, director of Ndali Estates and a supporter of MVFA, says, "Although farmers' Fair Trade sales are not large enough to cause big changes in his life situation, it gives him hope for the future - hope to be able to improve not only his own economic situation, but also his surroundings."

Growing vanilla is labor-intensive; flowers must be pollinated by hand.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/joseph-mbusa-light-child/; and this article from Fair Trade USA: http://fairtradeusa.org/producer-profiles/mubuku-moringa-vanilla-farmers-association.

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