By Meg Hall of University of Vermont
Our time at base camp in Cochrane was always madness with needing to accomplish a million things in just a few days. After coming back from our homestays, we had an opportunity to visit a local farmer co-op, Asociacion Gremial. Ester Hernandez Jara (Janet), a woman from one of the homestay families, was the first female president, and although she didn’t want the job originally, she ended up changing the association for the better.
We started our tour of Asociacion Gremial near an older stable-like structure. With Sara translating for us, Cristián Fuentealba began to explain what the structure was. He explained that they originally planned to hold livestock auctions there, and the stable was meant to be a place where the animals could be kept until the buyer could come pick them up. But with no water easily accessible and a small amount of space, the members of the association quickly realized that the land was not equipped for holding livestock for days at a time. With the wellbeing of the animals in mind, they quickly shut the auction area down. Fuentealba told our group that they were thinking of new ways to repurpose the structure to prevent the money it took to build it from being wasted.
As we continued to tour the grounds, Fuentealba explained how the co-op
worked. Any farmer could join, but to become a member they had to pay yearly
dues. By becoming a member, they earned special privileges, like being able to
borrow tools for harvesting hay. I began to understand the importance of a
farmer association when we entered the wool warehouse.
After spending a week with local Chileans, all of us understood the important role that sheep play in their lives. Sheep are central not only as their main protein source, but for the wool they produce. As we entered the warehouse, we saw walls made of giant blocks of wool wrapped in plastic. It reminded me of a wholesale store like Costco or BJ’s, but instead of boxes of cereal and granola bars, it was stocked full of wool. We were led to a corner with large bins, where we learned about the process of cleaning, sorting and packing the wool. All the wool from the farmers was cleaned and sorted by hand. As they passed around examples, they explained to us that wool was graded based on fineness and strength of the fibers. After receiving a grade, it was placed into a bin, and when there was enough of one grade, it was compressed into a block and wrapped in plastic.
The importance of a farmer co-op becomes apparent when it is time to sell the wool. The individual farmers have a difficult time finding good buyers when they are isolated with smaller quantities of wool. By coming together, they can sell to larger buyers who will pay higher prices. Before a deal is made, the farmers come together to decide if they agree with the sale. In a democratic style, the farmers vote on the possible deal. While there, we heard the farmers deny a deal and hold onto their wool in hopes that it could fetch a higher price at a later date. On our short trip to the Asociacion Gremial, I learned the value of community-based organizations and how they can improve the lives of everyone involved.