A wide variety of fresh vegetables grown by local producers.
In November 2023, members of the Fair Trade team visited a coffee-producing region in southern Peru and witnessed the tangible results of a home gardening project they had started six years earlier.

This home garden project uses social development costs from fair trade coffee to distribute crop seeds and train cultivation instructors. Many crops, such as pumpkins, radishes, green onions, and cabbage, are being grown in home gardens created by developing the gardens of coffee producers' homes.

* social development costs: This refers to the portion of the raw material purchase price that is allocated to various activities aimed at improving the lives of local people.

We have also provided support for raising guinea pigs, known locally as "kuy," which are a valuable source of protein for the people living in mountainous areas, as well as for raising poultry such as chickens and ducks.

One of the producers said, "In our home garden, we grow vegetables without using any pesticides or chemical fertilizers. We harvest enough for our family to eat each day, and sell any surplus in town. When I was little, my grandmother lived a self-sufficient life, but gradually she stopped growing vegetables and started buying them in town. Through this home garden project, we have started growing vegetables, livestock, and poultry again with our own hands, and we are now able to enjoy a rich diet like in the old days."


Last year, this region experienced a historic drought with very little rain, resulting in a disappointing harvest. This year, the trees are growing well and the yield is on the rise, but because weather changes directly impact coffee yields, producers were very concerned about the effects of climate change.

Furthermore, in response to the expanding demand for coffee, this visit also included a visit to a new producers' cooperative. In their fields, coffee is cultivated using agroforestry, where crops are grown alongside various trees, creating a healthy ecosystem and suppressing the occurrence of insect pests and diseases. When members of the Fair Trade Department introduced Zensho 's direct partnership-type Fair Trade, the producers were deeply impressed and decided to begin a new collaboration with Zensho.

Zensho will continue to work closely with producers and contribute to the development of society through fair trade.