Eastside Food Co-op Supports Small Farmers Around the World

At Eastside Food Co-op, we believe that cooperation extends across borders, connecting us to the farmers, producers, and co-ops that make our food system possible.

That’s why we’re proud to share that Eastside has made a $5,000 donation to Equal Exchange’s Small Farmer Fund, a new initiative created to keep vital farmer-led development projects alive in the face of lost federal funding.

About the Small Farmer Fund

Equal Exchange’s Small Farmer Fund was launched in 2024 after the U.S. government abruptly ended funding for the Cooperative Development Program (CDP), a USAID-supported initiative that, for over a decade, helped small farmer cooperatives in Latin America, Africa, and Asia improve productivity, governance, and climate resilience.

Through this program, Equal Exchange worked directly with more than a dozen cooperatives in six countries, supporting projects that built leadership, promoted gender equity, engaged youth, and helped farmers adapt to climate change.

Now, with the loss of that government funding, Equal Exchange and its partners are turning to the cooperative community (people like us) to keep this work going.

Every dollar donated to the Small Farmer Fund goes directly to farmer-led projects that:

• Strengthen climate resilience and food security

• Support gender equity and youth leadership

• Improve crop quality and sustainability

• Build cooperative capacity and economic independence

Why This Matters

As a cooperative, Eastside shares Equal Exchange’s mission to build fair, transparent, and resilient food systems. The challenges faced by small farmers — from volatile markets to climate change — affect us all. Supporting their ability to thrive strengthens the global cooperative movement and helps ensure that the products we love, like coffee, chocolate, and bananas, come from farms and communities built on fairness and sustainability.

Join Us in Supporting Small Farmers

We invite our members, shoppers, and community partners to join us in supporting Equal Exchange’s Small Farmer Fund.

👉 Donate directly here: Equal Exchange Small Farmer Fund

No amount is too small. 100% of every donation goes to support co-op development projects that make a real difference for small farmers and their communities!