About Rain Forest Rescue Teas and info that will help you see "why tea?"
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between communities and their environment. Through ongoing community
training and support in organic and sustainable farming, we empower
people to generate alternative incomes while protecting and restoring
native biodiversity.
And the NamaSpirit Fiber Art, Yoga and Music Studio seeks to reflect
those values and links.
Read about the tea growers and revisit this listserv after looking
through the rain forest rescue website, and share some ideas, feelings
and creative intent.
http://www.rainforestrescueinternational.org/case_studies/tea.html
Sri Lanka is famous for its tea, but unsustainable farming practices
in both small-holdings and large plantations has seen a dramatic
degradation in the quality of water and soil – leading to a loss of
biodiversity as well as a loss in income for farmers dependent on the
tea sector.
In a holistic programme with a number of partners, we are working to
increase farmer’s incomes and protect and restore biodiversity.
The different project threads include:
Conversion to organic agriculture
In a Private Public Partnership (PPP) with the Dutch government and
Both Ends, we are working with small holder farmers in Baddegama and
the Calsey Tea Estate community in Nuwara Eliya to convert their lands
over to organic. This will not only give them a higher value product,
but will also increase quality of life by improving the local
environment through a reduction in chemical pollution and an increase
in biodiversity.
Income diversification
As part of the PPP project in Baddegama, we are promoting a range
livelihood opportunities, to help stabilise farmer incomes in times of
fluctuating markets. As well as organic tea, strategies include:
Provision of cows, whose milk can be used
to supplement household nutrition and sold on the local market as
fresh milk or yoghurt.
Training in processing garden produce, such
as fruits and vegetables, into value added
products such as chutneys.
Hand rolled tea
To add further value we are working with Rainforest Tea Gardens of Sri
Lanka to research and develop high-quality, hand-rolled black and
green teas. By purchasing the tea from small holders involved in the
PPP programme, and working with community members to process it, we
can help build long-term livelihood opportunities. The tea is
earmarked for sale on both local and international markets.
Tea factory
The Italian organisation GVC are further supporting the tea community
in Baddegama by providing funds to build a tea factory. A safe and
fully equipped environment in which to process and store tea is an
essential step in enabling the community to add value to their
produce, rather than just selling the tea leaf on the local market,
for the lowest prince in the value chain. Once completed, the factory
will be used to produce hand-rolled tea.
School programme
To help build environmental awareness within the Baddegama community,
one of the local schools is participating in our Rainforest Ranger
programme, which provides fun, practical opportunities for students to
learn about the environment. It aims to give children a positive
connection to their natural heritage, empower them to take
conservation actions and become advocates for environmental
conservation in their schools and communities.