Nicholas has been a tea farmer in Rukuriri since 1992 and says, ‘I learnt from my parents who were also tea farmers.’ Nicholas’ ¾ acre farm produces around 4,000 kilograms of tea annually.
As a tea farmer, income is unreliable and the work is intensive. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic, creating challenges like low access to hired labour, which reduces yield. As well as facing the challenges presented by the pandemic, farmers are also severely impacted by the devasting impacts of climate change. Climate change is a huge issue which farmers like Nicholas are passionate about as it ‘affects the overall production of tea.’
Improving infrastructure
Some of the old buying centres in Rukuriri were very far from most farms, and with limited access to electricity and water. Farmers often waited long hours transporting their tea to the buying centres due to congestion on roads getting into the larger towns. To combat this, the Rukuriri factory chose to invest their Fairtrade Premium funds to build larger buying centres within the catchment to ease congestion on rural roads, and to minimise the distance covered by farmers when transporting their tea.
Fairtrade Premium funds were also used to install electricity and a water tank in the buying centres. The water tanks harvest rainwater which otherwise would run into waste. Water is used to wash buying centres, but importantly provides a constant, sustainable access to water for washing hands. Farmers and ‘the community also draw water from the tank for their daily use.’ Access to adequate sanitation helps to prevent the transmission of Covid-19.
Nicholas proudly states, ‘Fairtrade has been a great impact’
Artificial insemination projects
Some tea farmers in Rukuriri are now also dairy farmers, a result of diversifying their income to augment the low wages received from tea. Artificial insemination (AI) projects are funded by the Fairtrade Premium money, and insemination is offered at a cheaper rate. Nicholas says, ‘It has greatly improved our cow breeds. One of my calves is a product of the AI services from Fairtrade.’ Improved cow breeds increase the milk headed to the new milk cooling plant, where farmers ‘can keep their milk to keep it fresh awaiting sale.’
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