In addition to social standards, the fair trade system also qualifies farms with a controlled water management, reduced pesticide use and use of at least 20% peat substitutes.
What is Fair Trade?
It is a social movement whose stated goal is to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and to promote sustainability. Members of the movement advocate the payment of higher prices to exporters, as well as improved social and environmental standards.
International Fairtrade Standards
The Fairtrade Standards are designed to tackle poverty and empower producers in the poorest countries in the world. The standards apply to both producers and traders.
- No exploitative child labour
- Paying a Fairtrade premium of 10% of the price paid by the importer to be used in a joint project
- Regulated working hours and fixed social benefits for workers
- Measures of health protection and work safety: limited use of agrochemicals and complete ban of highly toxic pesticides.
- Support of environmental protection with sustainable economic frameworks
With the foundation of Selecta's Southern production sites in Kenya and Uganda they also took over a high social responsibility for the working staff in these countries. This also comprises the continuous improvement of the working and living conditions not only on the farms but also in their daily life. Selecta is treating all people working on their farms according to applicable employment law and secures fair wages or salaries that are adapted to the inflation rate.
The large number of programmes and activities offered to the staff shows the company’s responsibility:
- free meals
- farm clinics with qualified staff
- baby care for women nursing their babies
- free counseling about different topics like AIDS and health hygiene
- personal loans to purchase for example a bicycle
- donations in kind
Fairtrade Poinsettia... just a start
Since 2016 Selecta has also offered Fairtrade Poinsettia cuttings for their customers. Their poinsettia farm in Uganda received the internationally accepted certifications MPSA, MPS-GAP and MPS-SQ for horticultural products produced in a sustainable and socially responsible manner hence meets the requirements of Fairtrade and has been officially audited for this in spring 2016.
All Poinsettia in the Selecta assortment are available as Fairtrade young plants. The farm employees benefit immediately and directly from the higher price. A joint project, on which the employees decide by their own, is going to be benefited with 1 euro cent from each cutting sold.
Wagagai
Selecta one is producing Poinsettia and a proportion of the bedding and balcony plant assortment in Uganda at Wagagai Ltd at the shores of Lake Victoria. The joint venture between Selecta one and Wagagai started in 2006 with a trial at 500m² greenhouse space. Today, there are almost 20 hectares of greenhouses at Wagagai producing 180 million cuttings annually.
Wagagai has lots of social programs running, like the Wagagai Health Center for local people which is well-known in the area for its quality of service.
Since it started it has now developed the Health Centre to the highest level:
- Annually treats approximately 40.000 people.
- Has nearly 50 full time staff working at the health centre
- Opens 24 hours on 7 days a week.
Now all workers, their family and the local community around have access to very good healthcare at highly subsidised and affordable rates. Selecta has been able to expand it also to the local community.
At the clinic they also have a theatre for minor surgery where they mainly do caesareans. They also employ four midwifes and approximately 400 babies are born at our health centre every year.
One of the farm workers comments: "My name is Nanyange Prosy and I work as a harvester in the Selecta project. Before joining Selecta I was struggling with my life in my village. My uncle told me about the farm and I came to the gate to apply for a job. Through training I have learned a lot about hygiene. We were also trained about work safety and first aid. My baby stays in the baby day care for free. And I get breakfast and lunch for free. One day when I was very sick the ambulance of the company picked me up from home and brought me to the farm clinic.”
This article appeared in Selecta's FloralNews magazine.
For more information:
Selecta One
www.selecta-one.com
www.selectacutflowers.com