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The Cause/Our Cause

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Photographer is " Vitaliy Prokopets for Andean Naturals"

Above are some great pictures of a school that is located near the quinoa fields. We are proud to announce that we will be making our first large donation to this school in the form of school materials they are in need off, and have requested. We could have not completed this project without all the great support La Yapa has received from our customers, friends and family. We will make sure to take plenty more pictures to share with you.

Farmers

Royal Quinoa® is grown only in Bolivia, and only on the shores of the world's largest salt flat, at an altitude of 12,000 feet. Farmers at this altitude often live below the poverty line and have few crop options. In this area, indigenous farmers must rely on quinoa as their main source of income, as they are unable to grow any other commercial crop due to frequent frosts and droughts.

In the past few years, the income of quinoa farmers has doubled with the increase in volume and prices. In 2008 alone, the U.S. imports of quinoa grew by 35%. The farmer’s quality of life also has increased steadily. In order for this change to last, we are working to provide every incentive for farmers to keep planting as they have done for centuries, organically and with heirloom seeds.

La Yapa is committed to reducing poverty by sourcing its Royal Quinoa from over 1,000 small family farms. By choosing this Fair Trade Certified™ product, you are directly supporting a better life for farming families through fair prices, direct trade, community development, and environmental stewardship.

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Children of the Farmers

La Yapa’s cause is to ensure that the children of quinoa farmers have access to a well-rounded education.

Our short-term goal is to provide children with the materials they need to begin their education. Historically, children in Bolivia’s rural areas have not always been able to attend school. In many cases, children cannot attend simply because they cannot afford the required materials. Therefore, La Yapa’s first priority is to provide them with the uniforms, books, and writing materials they need to enter the classroom.

Our long-term goal is to form a foundation that not only supplies the children with basic materials, but also provides a well-rounded education that promotes the desire to continue farming as their ancestors have done throughout centuries.

With the influence of globalization and Western culture, many farming children do not value the work of their parents. Most children don’t want to follow in the farming tradition of their elders. Making quinoa a profitable crop that will adequately support a farming family is a start. But La Yapa hopes to instill in the children of these farmers a respect for the culture and traditions of quinoa farming, and a love for the land and their unique product, that will make them want to continue providing the gift of quinoa to the rest of the world.

The La Yapa team is aware that increasing the demand for quinoa around the world could result in land erosion and environmental damage. For example, in some cases farmers have abandoned the traditional, sustainable ways of farming in an attempt to increase crop yields to meet the growing demand for their product. What these farmers may not appreciate is how these new practices may, in the long run, damage their land and their environment. The La Yapa team and its partner, Andean Naturals, are committed to making sure that this does not happen. One of the ways we hope to prevent this is by educating children about the importance of sustainable farming practices, and by giving them the skills they need to farm profitably, but sustainably.

La Yapa knows that, in order to achieve our goals, we need to work with as many people who share our vision as possible. We invite you to contact us at schools@layaporganic.com to discuss any potential partnership with your organization. Together, we can build a better educational environment, and a better life, for the children of quinoa farmers.

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Fair Trade Certified™

Andean farmers are amongst the poorest in the world. They have difficulty accessing markets that will pay them fairly for their products. They often opt for planting cash crops, using chemicals and imported seeds, instead of more traditional and environmentally-friendly agriculture methods. As a result, these farmers are caught in an unhealthy cycle of dependency to suppliers and are unwillingly forced to degrade their own land.

La Yapa, provides a market-based solution: it provides reliable, fair market access to small- and medium-sized farmers. By channeling market demand and paying premium prices, La Yapa assists these farmers in developing sustainable and organic agricultural practices.

All of our Royal Quinoa® and Royal Quinoa-based products are strictly organic and when possible Fair Trade Certified™. “Fair Trade Certified™ quinoa directly supports a better life for our farming families through fair prices, community development, and environmental stewardship. Our farmers are able to market their own harvests through direct, long-term contracts with international buyers, learning how to manage their businesses and compete in the global marketplace. Receiving a fair price for their harvest allows them to invest in their families’ health care and education, reinvest in quality, and protect the environment. This empowerment model lifts farming families from poverty through trade, not aid, creating a more equitable and sustainable model of international trade that benefits producers, consumers, industry, and the Earth. The Fair Trade Certified™ label is backed by TransFair USA, the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products for the U.S. market.”

Our goal is to keep our operations efficient in order to supply more profit to the Andean farmers that provide us with our products. This allows these farmers not only to increase production, but also to improve the lives of their families and communities. There are times when the supply for Fair Trade Certified™ quinoa is not available due to shortages, but La Yapa is committed to always paying fair trade prices for all of the quinoa it purchases.

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Our School Projects

La Yapa’s cause is to ensure that the children of quinoa farmers have access to a well-rounded education.

Our short-term goal is to provide children with the materials they need to begin their education. Historically, children in Bolivia’s rural areas have not always been able to attend school. In many cases, children cannot attend simply because they cannot afford the required materials. Therefore, La Yapa’s first priority is to provide them with the uniforms, books, and writing materials they need to enter the classroom.

Our long-term goal is to form a foundation that not only supplies the children with basic materials, but also provides a well-rounded education that promotes the desire to continue farming as their ancestors have done throughout centuries.

With the influence of globalization and Western culture, many farming children do not value the work of their parents. Most children don’t want to follow in the farming tradition of their elders. Making quinoa a profitable crop that will adequately support a farming family is a start. But La Yapa hopes to instill in the children of these farmers a respect for the culture and traditions of quinoa farming, and a love for the land and their unique product, that will make them want to continue providing the gift of quinoa to the rest of the world.

The La Yapa team is aware that increasing the demand for quinoa around the world could result in land erosion and environmental damage. For example, in some cases farmers have abandoned the traditional, sustainable ways of farming in an attempt to increase crop yields to meet the growing demand for their product. What these farmers may not appreciate is how these new practices may, in the long run, damage their land and their environment. The La Yapa team and its partner, Andean Naturals, are committed to making sure that this does not happen. One of the ways we hope to prevent this is by educating children about the importance of sustainable farming practices, and by giving them the skills they need to farm profitably, but sustainably.

La Yapa knows that, in order to achieve our goals, we need to work with as many people who share our vision as possible. We invite you to contact us at schools@layaporganic.com to discuss any potential partnership with your organization. Together, we can build a better educational environment, and a better life, for the children of quinoa farmers.

Resources

Follow the work of Trans Fair USA:
http://www.transfairusa.org/

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