However, these agricultural activities only cover a small part of  these families' basic requirements. Out of the necessity of a higher income many of the men in these rural Andean communities, both adults and adolescents, seasonally relocate in order to work in nearby towns and mines. Many of the women work in producing handcrafts to be sold in the commercial market.

In 1978 MINKA fair trade partnered with producer communities in order to begin the joint commercialization of production oriented towards sale to foreign consumers. This type of work has enabled producers  to make direct contact with wholesale importers in the international market and also to obtain better incomes for their handcraft production. It has also created the opportunity to  sell agricultural products, such as organic Andean foods. Unfortunately, only 20% of what is produced annually in these communities is chanelled through MINKA. This means that producers must continue to sell, on an individual basis, a large percentage of their production within the traditional market which functions in a speculative, informal manner. This often creates extensive, complex chains of intermediaries that gain much larger profits that producers. Rather than receiving better prices from buyers, based on the quality of their products, pressure is consistently applied in order to lower prices. For these reasons we here at MINKA have been working to fight what we see as a serious devaluation of labour.

In 2000 we developed and formalized our tourism project with the aim of not only increasing incomes but forming direct relationships with consumers (both current and potential), exchanging experiences, demonstrating traditional techniques, sharing inherited philosophies of life and most importantly demonstrate the impact that fair trade had in their communities and lives.

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