Not all of the goods I import are certified organic, but all of the small scale farmers I work with use organic practices; they do not use any chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers; nor do they use any genetically modified (GMO) seeds. Most, however, cannot afford the expensive organic certification needed to promote and sell their foods for a higher price in the international market. An organic certification usually takes around 3 years and often costs thousands of dollars, something clearly out of reach for the small scale rural farmer. The average coffee farm in Peru is about 2.5 - 3 hectares (6-7.5 acres), which makes organic certification difficult, if near impossible. In other coffee producing countries where large scale industrialized agriculture has taken root such as Brazil and Costa Rica, individual farmers may be able to afford an expensive certification, the cost of which may be recouped within one or two harvests. Unfortunately, for the vast majority of the farme...