A Lichfield-based organisation has hosted a visit from a Malawian rice farmer to highlight the importance of sustainable farming and Fair Trade practice.
Regional consumer co-operative Central Co-op welcomed Howard Msukwa to the county earlier this month.
Howard is a farmer who grows Kilombero rice which is sold in Central Co-op stores as part of the Our Malawi Partnership – a range of products linked to Malawi in support of producers and farmers, where a proportion from the sales strengthens trading capacity in Malawi.
He visited Centre Co-op’s Support Centre and Boley Park store in Lichfield where he spoke with Chief Executive Debbie Robinson and colleagues in store.
Howard shared insights on the challenges faced by farmers in Malawi and the crucial role fair trade plays in improving the livelihoods of farming communities.
He also attended a slow cooker cooking session at Trent & Dove’s 181 Community Café in Winshill, Burton upon Trent, which featured a mild curry dish made with the rice.
And the highlight of his trip was a visit to Streethay Primary School, in Lichfield, where he thanked students and teachers for taking part in an initiative that encouraged students to buy 90kg of fairly-traded Kilombero rice – the amount needed to give families the option to send a young person to secondary school in Malawi.
Streethay students smashed the target, purchasing 207 bags of rice.
Howard said: “It’s very encouraging to see the 90kg rice challenge connecting children here in the UK to children in Malawi.
“In our community, education is viewed as an investment and an instrumental tool for our future, but because of poverty – heightened by climate change – it is being put down in priority.
“I would like to thank all the children, parents and teachers at Streethay who took part in the 90kg rice challenge for supporting their fellow children in Malawi who may not be able to go to school without your help.”
