Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region
Encyclopedia
The Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region , is a farmer's cooperative in the state of Oaxaca
, Mexico
. It was established in 1982 to assist in production, marketing and distribution of locally produced coffee and other products.
UCIRI was a pioneer of organic coffee production and one of the first fair trade suppliers.
and Guevea de Humboldt
munipalities in the Tehuantepec District
of the Istmo Region
of Oaxaca did not have roads and transport to get their product to market, and lacked bargaining power with the freelance coffee buyers. However, loggers built rough roads in the 1970s, and the roads were maintained after the loggers left or were driven out. The producers began selling direct to Inmecafe, the Mexican Institute of Coffee, which paid more than the middlemen.
In 1982 the farmers of the two municipalities, with advice from a Jesuit mission team from the Dicoese of Tehuantepec, formed the UCIRI to help gain better prices for their coffee crop. They were later joined by farmers from other communities in the Sierra Mixe
and northern Isthmus region.
UCIRI gained legal status in 1983 and established contact with ARIC (Asociaciones Rurales de Interés Colectivo), a growers organization which had part of the Mexican export quota under the International Coffee Agreement
.
Early years were difficult. The cooperative struggled to obtain financing and faced bureaucratic obstacles. They had to learn the many processes involved in producing and delivering a consistent product, from buying sacks to quality control and transport.
They also had to learn all the financial aspects of running a business.
The UCIRI launched an appeal that led directly to the creation of the Dutch Max Havelaar Foundation, which now unites 23 fair trade producer and labelling initiatives.
The Max Havelaar label, the world's first Fairtrade Certification Mark, was officially launched by Stichting Max Havelaar on 15 November 1988.
One of the founders of Max Havelaar, Frans van der Hoff
, later joined the staff of UCIRI.
At first the government was hostile to the cooperative. On two occasions army units occupied UCIRI installations.
Later it gained increasing respect from the state and federal governments.
In 1997 the President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo
, awarded the UCIRI the National Prize for ecological merits.
By 1998 UCIRI included 49 communities in 19 municipalities with 2,050 members.
In 1999 the cooperative sold 279 tons under FLO
conditions.
The dependence on Fair Trade steadily dropped from 85% in 1988 to 43% in 1999, with increasing volumes sold in the organic and domestic markets. As a pioneer in organic production, UCIRI is able to command premium prices.
By 2002, the UCIRI had expanded beyond the original Santa Maria Guienagati and Guevea de Humboldt municipalities to include Santo Domingo Petapa
, Santiago Lachiguiri
, Santiago Ixcuintepec
, Santiago Atitlan
, San Lucas Camotlan
, San Juan Lachao
, San Juan Mazatlan
, San Juan Guichicovi
, San Juan Cotzocon
, Santa Catarina Juquila
, San Juan Juquila Mixes
, San Carlos Yautepec
, Nejapa de Madero
, San Miguel Quetzaltepec
, San Pedro Huilotepec
, Santa Maria Alotepec
, Santiago Camotlan
and Santo Domingo Tehuantepec.
UCIRI now exports to Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.
Each community that is part of UCIRI names a board of directors and officials responsible for different aspects of the programs who serve for one or two years. Community representatives assemble in Lachiviza, Guienagati
for two days each month to discuss issues and plans. The representatives then bring back reports from the assembly meetings for further discussion at local meetings.
At the central level, UCIRI has a four-person Administrative Council and a four-person Monitoring Council, each of whom are elected for three-year terms.
The cooperative gives technical and financial assistance for local manufacture, handling storage and transportation as well as national and international marketing of the products, of which the most important is coffee.
As the UCIRI has matured it has paid increased attention to the requirements of women and youth, health, education and nutrition.
The concepts pioneered by the UCIRI have been adopted by a number of other organizations in Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guatemala.
In 2003, the Fair Trade Research Group at Colorado State University
conducted seven case studies of Latin American Fairtrade coffee producers including UCIRI and concluded that Fair Trade has "in a short time greatly improved the well-being of small-scale coffee farmers and their families".
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It was established in 1982 to assist in production, marketing and distribution of locally produced coffee and other products.
UCIRI was a pioneer of organic coffee production and one of the first fair trade suppliers.
Early days
Until the late 1970s the small coffee farmers of the Santa Maria GuienagatiSanta María Guienagati
Santa María Guienagati is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is in the north of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region....
and Guevea de Humboldt
Guevea de Humboldt
Guevea de Humboldt is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It in the north of the Tehuantepec District, which is in the west of the Istmo Region.-History:...
munipalities in the Tehuantepec District
Tehuantepec District, Oaxaca
Tehuantepec District is located in the west of the Istmo Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.It includes the cities of Salina Cruz and Tehuantepec.-Municipalities:The district includes the following municipalities:...
of the Istmo Region
Istmo de Tehuantepec, Oaxaca
Istmo de Tehuantepec is the largest region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. It covers the southern part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the shortest route between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean before the Panama Canal was opened....
of Oaxaca did not have roads and transport to get their product to market, and lacked bargaining power with the freelance coffee buyers. However, loggers built rough roads in the 1970s, and the roads were maintained after the loggers left or were driven out. The producers began selling direct to Inmecafe, the Mexican Institute of Coffee, which paid more than the middlemen.
In 1982 the farmers of the two municipalities, with advice from a Jesuit mission team from the Dicoese of Tehuantepec, formed the UCIRI to help gain better prices for their coffee crop. They were later joined by farmers from other communities in the Sierra Mixe
Sierra Mixe
The Sierra Mixe or Mixes District is a district in the east of the Sierra Norte Region of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It comprises 17 municipalities and covers 4,930 km2 at an average elevation of 1,200 meters above sea level....
and northern Isthmus region.
UCIRI gained legal status in 1983 and established contact with ARIC (Asociaciones Rurales de Interés Colectivo), a growers organization which had part of the Mexican export quota under the International Coffee Agreement
International Coffee Organization
International Coffee Organization was initiated in collaboration with UN to enhance cooperation between nations that consume, distribute and produce coffee....
.
Early years were difficult. The cooperative struggled to obtain financing and faced bureaucratic obstacles. They had to learn the many processes involved in producing and delivering a consistent product, from buying sacks to quality control and transport.
They also had to learn all the financial aspects of running a business.
Expansion
By 1986 the cooperative was producing more than the 8,000 sacks of coffee that could be absorbed by the "alternative trade" movement.The UCIRI launched an appeal that led directly to the creation of the Dutch Max Havelaar Foundation, which now unites 23 fair trade producer and labelling initiatives.
The Max Havelaar label, the world's first Fairtrade Certification Mark, was officially launched by Stichting Max Havelaar on 15 November 1988.
One of the founders of Max Havelaar, Frans van der Hoff
Frans van der Hoff
Frans van der Hoff , or Francisco VanderHoff Boersma as he is called in Latin America, is a Dutch missionary who, in collaboration with Nico Roozen and ecumenical development agency Solidaridad, launched Max Havelaar, the first Fairtrade label in 1988...
, later joined the staff of UCIRI.
At first the government was hostile to the cooperative. On two occasions army units occupied UCIRI installations.
Later it gained increasing respect from the state and federal governments.
In 1997 the President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo
Ernesto Zedillo
Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León is a Mexican economist and politician. He served as President of Mexico from December 1, 1994 to November 30, 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted seventy year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party...
, awarded the UCIRI the National Prize for ecological merits.
By 1998 UCIRI included 49 communities in 19 municipalities with 2,050 members.
In 1999 the cooperative sold 279 tons under FLO
Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International
Fairtrade International was established in 1997, and is an association of 3 producer networks, 19 national labelling initiatives and 3 marketing organizations that promote and market the Fairtrade Certification Mark in their countries Fairtrade labelling organizations exist in 18 European...
conditions.
The dependence on Fair Trade steadily dropped from 85% in 1988 to 43% in 1999, with increasing volumes sold in the organic and domestic markets. As a pioneer in organic production, UCIRI is able to command premium prices.
Santo Domingo Petapa
Santo Domingo Petapa is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 232.2 km², at an average altitude of 250 meters above sea level, and is part of the Juchitán District of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region....
, Santiago Lachiguiri
Santiago Lachiguiri
Santiago Lachiguiri is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region.-Environment:The municipality covers an area of 673.63 km²...
, Santiago Ixcuintepec
Santiago Ixcuintepec
Santiago Ixcuintepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Sierra Mixe district within the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca Region.The name "Ixcuintepec" means "Dog Head Hill".-Environment:...
, Santiago Atitlan
Santiago Atitlán, Oaxaca
Santiago Atitlán, Oaxaca is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Sierra Mixe district within the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca Region.The municipality covers wooded and mountainous area of 82.93 km²....
, San Lucas Camotlan
San Lucas Camotlán
San Lucas Camotlán is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 127.58 km².It is part of the Sierra Mixe district within the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca Region....
, San Juan Lachao
San Juan Lachao
San Juan Lachao is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Juquila District in the center of the Costa Region.The municipality covers 190.1 km² of hilly land...
, San Juan Mazatlan
San Juan Mazatlán
San Juan Mazatlán is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Sierra Mixe district within the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca Region.Mazatlán's name in Nahuatl means "the place of deer".-Environment:...
, San Juan Guichicovi
San Juan Guichicovi
San Juan Guichicovi is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region.The town was founded on 15 March 1825: Guichicovi means "New Town" in Zapotec.-Environment:...
, San Juan Cotzocon
San Juan Cotzocon
San Juan Cotzocon is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Sierra Mixe district within the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca Region.The name "Cotzocón" or "Cozogón" means "Dark Mountain".-Environment:...
, Santa Catarina Juquila
Santa Catarina Juquila
Santa Catarina Juquila is a town in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, and is the seat of the municipality also called Santa Catarina Juquila.It is part of the Juquila District in the center of the Costa Region....
, San Juan Juquila Mixes
San Juan Juquila Mixes
San Juan Juquila Mixes is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Yautepec District in the east of the Sierra Sur Region.The name "Juquila" means "beautiful vegetables".-Environment:...
, San Carlos Yautepec
San Carlos Yautepec
San Carlos Yautepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Yautepec District in the east of the Sierra Sur Region.The name "Yautepec" means "hill of black corn"....
, Nejapa de Madero
Nejapa de Madero
Nejapa de Madero is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Yautepec District in the east of the Sierra Sur Region, not far from the main highway between Oaxaca, Oaxaca and Salina Cruz.The name "Nejapa" means "ash water"....
, San Miguel Quetzaltepec
San Miguel Quetzaltepec
San Miguel Quetzaltepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Sierra Mixe district within the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca Region....
, San Pedro Huilotepec
San Pedro Huilotepec
San Pedro Huilotepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region."Huilotepec" means stone wasp....
, Santa Maria Alotepec
Santa María Alotepec
Santa María Alotepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Sierra Mixe district within the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca Region.The name Alotepec means "hill of the macaws'....
, Santiago Camotlan
Santiago Camotlán
Santiago Camotlán is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is part of the Villa Alta District in the center of the Sierra Norte Region.The municipality covers an area of 332.99 km² at an elevation of 1,380 meters above sea level....
and Santo Domingo Tehuantepec.
UCIRI now exports to Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.
Operations
The organization is structured along grassroots democratic lines.Each community that is part of UCIRI names a board of directors and officials responsible for different aspects of the programs who serve for one or two years. Community representatives assemble in Lachiviza, Guienagati
Santa María Guienagati
Santa María Guienagati is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It is in the north of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region....
for two days each month to discuss issues and plans. The representatives then bring back reports from the assembly meetings for further discussion at local meetings.
At the central level, UCIRI has a four-person Administrative Council and a four-person Monitoring Council, each of whom are elected for three-year terms.
The cooperative gives technical and financial assistance for local manufacture, handling storage and transportation as well as national and international marketing of the products, of which the most important is coffee.
As the UCIRI has matured it has paid increased attention to the requirements of women and youth, health, education and nutrition.
The concepts pioneered by the UCIRI have been adopted by a number of other organizations in Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guatemala.
In 2003, the Fair Trade Research Group at Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
conducted seven case studies of Latin American Fairtrade coffee producers including UCIRI and concluded that Fair Trade has "in a short time greatly improved the well-being of small-scale coffee farmers and their families".