About Us
Farmer to Farmer is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We are located in Western Wisconsin with members throughout the U.S. Farmer to Farmer was founded in 1989 as a solidarity-based organization. Over the years we have worked in Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador and Guatemala. Our current work is focused in Guatemala and Honduras. We work directly with family coffee farmers, buying their organic coffee directly for an above fair trade price. The profits from the coffee sales go back to the farmers and to help support various projects including school scholarships for students in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.
Farmer To Farmer is organized to build mutual friendship and cultural understanding among rural people so that we might better understand and accompany each other in our common struggles. We seek to promote peace within ourselves, within our community, and across international boundaries.
We envision agriculture that is sustainable and respectful for the earth, and one that remains in the hands of the people who live on and work the land. We support grassroots agricultural projects that are democratically initiated and managed. Our decisions about a project are guided by respect that characterizes the relationship between friends.
As an organization, we affirm the sacredness of the earth and work for and respect the rights of all people and cultures to self-determination.
Our Mission
Farmer to Farmer envisions agriculture that is sustainable and respectful of the earth, that remains in the hands of the people who live and work the land. We support grassroots agricultural projects that are democratically initiated and managed. We affirm the sacredness of the earth and work for and respect the rights of all peoples and cultures to self-determination.
Our current work is focused in Guatemala and Honduras. We work directly with family coffee farmers, buying their organic coffee directly for an-above-fair-trade price. The profits from the coffee sales go back to the farmers and to help support their various project. Our biggest program is supporting 36 students with school scholarships in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala and Honduras.
Our Vision
Our Story
In the midst of the 1980’s Farm Crisis in the United States, a group of Nicaraguan farmers traveled to Wisconsin on a speaking tour to share their experiences forming cooperatives. A group of Wisconsin farmers, who had already organized in response to the farm crisis, realized that they had a lot to learn from this group.
The Wisconsin farmers traveled to Nicaragua, and out of that experience, Farmer To Farmer was formed. The vision of that early organization was to build friendship and understanding among rural people so that we might better understand our common struggles.
In 1989, Craig Adams, Lucy Altemus and their three children, Erin, Sam and Louis, went to Nicaragua for a year to help a cooperative there develop a dairy project. This experience clarified for Craig and Lucy the connection between U.S. foreign policy and economic and social conditions in Latin America.
In 1991, Farmer To Farmer received a solicitation from a community of traditional Mayan weavers (Comite de Desarollo de Tejedores) in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, requesting assistance to resume farming after the devastating civil war in that country. Our support began with seed money and a visit.
Over the years we have connected community members to organic training and support, purchased farmland for the group, provided educational and scholarship assistance, helped build a weaving workshop and showroom in downtown Santiago Atitlan, and continue to market the community’s textiles and beadwork in North America.
Racial Equity
Farmer To Farmer is based on peace and cross-cultural understanding. In our work and relationships – from local events to international coffee contracts – we strive to cultivate a common ground of respect, collaboration, and appreciation for other perspectives. Racism – in any form – is and will always be a threat to our mission, vision, and values. Farmer To Farmer unequivocally denounces, condemns, and seeks to dismantle racism, including its overt and covert manifestations in the U.S. and globally. We stand with and offer solidarity to Black, Brown and Indigenous communities as they fight mistreatment and violence, regardless of whether it is in the streets of Minneapolis, Comayagua, Santiago Atitlan, or Huehuetenango.
As a predominantly white organization working with Indigenous and Latinx communities, Farmer To Farmer has a unique responsibility to remain vigilant against implicit and explicit racism in our internal culture and external relationships. We strive to hold ourselves accountable and ask our friends and allies to help us in this process. The systems that promote racism as a means to concentrate power and wealth are old, active and insidious – manifested in oppressive policing, trade policies, and expressions of white supremacy. We cannot authentically build relationships and achieve our mission while remaining silent about and inactive towards these systems of opposition. We commit to continuously pushing for greater awareness and action that counters our privilege, addresses racism, and supports the leadership of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.
Peace is at the core of Farmer To Farmer, but this does not mean idleness. We have an activist heart. This is why the work we do and the products we sell come with a promise to the farmers, artisans, communities, and customers we are fortunate to know and work with every day. We will stand against the forces that seek to divide us.
Partner Organizations
We are pleased to partner with two organizations whose mission aligns with ours by acting as their fiscal agent
Multicolores Guatemala
In March 2014, Multicolores was formed with the goal of improving the quality of life of Maya artists and their families through programs which build knowledge, skills and self confidence. The Association is made up of 50 rug hookers from 5 communities and 12 embroiderers from 6 communities.The Association also supports the artists in finding markets for their handicrafts and promoting cultural exchange. Read more and donate here.
Menomonie Community Garden
We are happy to be the fiscal sponsor of this great local gardening group. Founded in 2010 providing space for gardens, gardening education, and a gathering spot for community members. They offer plots for people to grow their own food. They focus on sustainable agriculture and work to establish a legacy of stewardship for the land in upcoming generations. Read more and donate here.
Local
Bread for the World - Each year we take part in the Empty Bowl event in Menomonie WI
International
We've spent a lot of time on the ground in Guatemala and Honduras, which gives us a clearer picture of what’s going on down there. We’ve had the opportunity to work with many inspiring individuals and groups, such as:
Open Door (Puerta Abierta) Children's Library - offers creative learning opportunities to Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala children through preschool and kindergarten classes, after school enrichment programs, reading hours, homework help, and the traveling library, which spreads the joy of reading to the most remote parts of Santiago.
Hospitalito Santiago Atitlan - is a small private nonprofit hospital serving 75,000 Maya living on the southern shore of beautiful Lake Atitlán in the Guatemalan highlands.
Sharing the Dream - is a non-profit organization that promotes fair trade with cooperatives and small businesses in Guatemala. We are committed to providing fair wages and employment opportunities to low-income artisans, which will result in creating sustainable markets for their products.
Guatemala Human Rights Commission - dedicated to promoting human rights in Guatemala.