The Block Chain technology can be used for any certification system to trace and ensure for correct buying and selling procedures from certified system including Organic, Fair Trade and food safety. This can help reduce food fraud and increase transparency.
Customers can see and get to know even closer to producers making their food products for consumption. Customers can even know how many family members depending on the products being produced and where the food is from. All details including prices, farmers family and information, can be scanned and forwarded to customers directly through Block Chain Technology.
Aliet Green organized a Fair Food Block Chain Technology project for Fresh Coconuts. The project was to prove fair pricing in combination with traceability when applying the right technology. Fair Food is a Dutch campaign organization, which can show and prove that Fair Trade can work even without expensive certifications by using its Fair Food Block Chain Technology.
More than 30 farmers, who are members of Aliet Green's Fair Trade certified Organic Coconut Sugar project, participated in the Fair Food project by Selling their Fresh Green Coconuts to Fair Food for a predefined price. We selected a number of farmers for the first time to try if Block Chain Technology did work well. In addition these farmers were selected as they could read and write SMS as part of Block Chain Technology. Sadly but proudly, we are working with 90 percent of small scale illiterate farmers who have showed their dedication to following international standards.
From this project we wanted show Fair Trade could be done without certification that sometimes can make us frustrated. Although Aliet Green is a Fair Trade certified woman social enterprise, for us, Fair Trade is not just a logo or brand but this is a movement that can empower small producing communities. We contribute back to producers who have also supported our success. In cooperation with Fair Food, we also wanted show that we are able to ensure we are treating our producers well according to Fair Trade standards although Fresh Coconuts sold to Fair Food were not labeled with our Fair Trade logo.
Chander Mohan
Krishi Jagran/New Delhi
