WINFA

Since 1993 BanaFair has contacts to WINFA, the Windward Islands Farmers Association. WINFA was first set up in 1982 as a loose grouping of national farmers groups and formally established in 1987 as an sub-regional umbrella organization. WINFA is made up of five farmers associations and unions located in each of the four Windward Islands (Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent) and Martinique. These are primary agricultural small farmer based organizations, whose members are principally engaged in the commercial production of bananas and other food crops.

The general aims and objectives of WINFA are:

• to promote the democratic participation of farmers at all levels of the development process;
• to work in collaboration with the national unions to improve the socio-economic well-being of farmers;
• to contribute to the building of national and regional awareness and solidarity
• to collaborate with other national, regional and international organizations concerned with rural development, food production and the problems of farmers and their organizations
• create and forge alliances and linkages between farmers organizations in Latin America, Cuba, Dominican Republic and the other Caribbean islands;
• International networking with farmers organizations, NGOs and Development Organizations in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.

Over the past years, WINFA had been working to develop a small farmers diversification programme and to establish the basis for the introduction to an open market economy. The promotion of diversification includes linkages to tourism and agro-processing. WINFA also designed a series of training workshops in sustainable agriculture. WINFA is also organizing farmer exchange programmes with farmers organizations in the Caribbean and Latin America. Particular attention is shown to the rights and needs of female farmers, many of them are single-parent. Programmes of exchanges especially for women are carried out and the women are included in general exchanges. WINFA is pursuing policy of engendering.

Although WINFA is representing all small farmers producing food and cash crops, bananas are very important and demand a big part of the resources. Therefore in 1997 the Banana Desk was established. WINFA took over a strong advocacy role in defence of banana farmers and on issues such as EU Banana Regime, ACP/EU relations, WTO and other major trade issues.

Since 1999 there is also a Fair Trade Desk in place. The Fair Trade Desk is preparing to embark on a banana Fair Trade initiative in coordination with several European Fair Trade organizations.

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