ASOANEI dedicated $402 in Fair Trade premium funds in 2009 to organizational strengthening among of Fair Trade cooperatives throughout the region. The program was designed to connect groups of Fair Trade farmers throughout the coffee growing region and provide a forum for them to discuss their challenges and best practices in their experiences with Fair Trade. ASOANEI together with other cooperatives met in a series of exchanges to strategize on how to best deal with similar problems relating to a wide range of topics including market conditions and infrastructural problems. ASOANEI also arranged meetings of in communities for of women and children were organized to discuss the unique problems and issues of each subregion. This program has helped build relationships between small producer organizations.
