Orgánicos Iturbe - Asoc. Agrícola Cañera Orgánica de Iturbe

The Asociación Agricola Cañera Orgánica de Iturbe is a small Fair Trade organic sugarcane producer organization in Paraguay. 95 percent of the Paraguayan population is mestizo, from Guarani indigenous populations and European immigrants. Iturbe is in the Guairá region of Paraguay, which has traditionally been used for cultivating sugarcane. Cane farmers rely heavily on sugarcane production for their main source of income. Local infrastructure is poor. Inhabitants of Iturbe have to travel about 30 kilometers on dirt roads to get to the nearest city to receive health care, banking and education services. Locally, there are very few job prospects apart from growing cane, and the population of Iturbe has suffered from emigration. Currently, the Asociación Cañera Orgánica de Iturbe has three tractors for members to utilize for soil preparation. One truck is also utilized to help its members with the commercialization of small crops of beans and vegetables. Aside from sugarcane, farmers grow yucca, corn, watermelon and citrus crops for self consumption as well as the local market. Molasses and rum are also produced as byproducts of sugarcane. On average, farmers have access to about six hectares of land. With the funds from their Fair Trade premium, Orgánica de Iturbe organizes training programs to educate its members on organic farming practices and crop diversification. The cooperative also has a reforestation program that uses native trees as well as fruit trees to protect soil and improve productivity.