Terrafertil is 100% committed to improving the welfare of goldenberry farmers through secured volume, fair prices and continuous agricultural training.

Terrafertil works with over 1,500 small-holder farming families in the Andes mountains in Ecuador and Colombia. Over the last 10 years Terrafertil has supported the creation of 13 farmer associations that produce goldenberries in the provinces of Pichincha, Imbabura, Napo and Carchi in Ecuador, and the Nariño, Cundinamarca, Boyacá and Antioquia provinces of Colombia.

Strengthening farmer organizations is important for us because it builds cohesion amongst farming families and communities. Cooperatives empower their members economically and socially by involving them in decision-making processes that create additional rural employment opportunities, and enable them to become more resilient to economic and environmental changes.

Strengthening farmer organizations is important for us because it builds cohesion amongst farming families and communities

Over the last 10 years Terrafertil has supported the creation of 13 farmer associations that produce goldenberries in the provinces of Pichincha, Imbabura, Napo and Carchi in Ecuador, and the Nariño, Cundinamarca, Boyacá and Antioquia provinces of Colombia

Generating Sustainable Income

Terrafertil in Ecuador and Colombia paid nearly $3,000,000 USD to farmers for goldenberries in 2018

A core pillar of our social mission is providing a more reliable income source for the farmers we work with.

In Ecuador, we guarantee the purchase of each farmer’s full goldenberry production at fixed annual prices based on volume. Terrafertil in Colombia agrees to a guaranteed, stabilized price with farmers for a full harvest cycle and also guarantees the purchase of each farmer’s entire crop.

This arrangement generates important income for farmers: Terrafertil in Ecuador and Colombia paid nearly $3,000,000 USD to farmers for goldenberries in 2018.  Farmers in the Minas association in Ecuador made on average $3,589 USD per family from goldenberries in 2018 – a huge economic boost for families in a region that has few employment opportunities.

The goldenberry value chain also generates benefits that are gender-inclusive – over 40% of Terrafertil’s farmers are women.  Many farmers are also over the age of 60, creating safe on-farm income for these key members of the community

Terrafertil also works collaboratively with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Colombia on a program entitled “Secured Harvest & Sale.” In this program, the Ministry guarrantees purchase contracts for the farmers so they can access low-interest credit from any financial institution. This increased cash flow supports farmers to invest in quality management of their crops and expanding their production areas.

Robust Training Programs

We value long-term partnerships with farmer associations and provide year-round farmer training for goldenberry production. Our programs include providing farmers with healthy plant starts and high quality seeds, then training to support planting, pest management and post-harvest quality control.

In Ecuador, we established a Farmer Field School (FFS) training program to deepen learning with 400 farmers in the Minas, Cangahua, Asama, and Pimampiro regions. The goal of the FFS is to bring farmers together and create spaces for “learning by doing.” Famers share experiences and lessons learned, helping others to improve organic production, pest management and overcome other challenges.

Terrafertil ensures high quality program content and leading training methodologies in the FFS’s by partnering with the best universities in Ecuador, including Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Universidad Central and Universidad Técnica del Norte.

In Ecuador, we have set up a Farmer Field School (FFS) program in 2018 to deepen learning with 400 farmers in the Minas, Cangahua, Asama, and Pimampiro regions

No child labor

Terrafertil is an active member of the “Network of companies for an Ecuador free of Child Labor” hosted by UNICEF

Terrafertil is 100% committed to a goldenberry supply chain free of child labor and is an active member of the “Network of companies for an Ecuador free of Child Labor” hosted by UNICEF. Key goals for network members that Terrafertil is working towards include:

  • Working with key stakeholders and suppliers to identify and build awareness around possible occurrences of child labor.
  • Active implementation of the company’s child labor policies and procedures
  • Establishing mechanisms to facilitate access to the child labor “complaints channel” developed by the Ministry of Labor Relations.
  • 100% of new and renewed contracts incorporate a special chapter on child labor.