Fairtrade is a system that guarantees farmers in developing countries a minimum price for their produce, or for their labour, and encourages the formation of long-term relationships between growers and buyers. It prevents individual farmers, who may have no choice in who they sell their produce to, being the victim of unscrupulous buyers, or of being affected by falling world market prices which are totally outside their control.
The Fairtrade system only operates in developing countries, which is why Fairtrade products include tea, coffee, chocolate, bananas etc, rather than wheat or potatoes. It is estimated that there are now over 5 million families in more than 40 countries who are benefiting from fair trade, and whose day to day income is between 25 and 60% higher than it would otherwise be.
Fairtrade is not about charity. It is not charity to pay someone for doing a good job or to respect those who grow our food and produce our clothing. Neither is it charity to try and protect the 126 million children worldwide who work in illegal and hazardous conditions, or to improve the lives of the 1.2 billion people currently below the poverty line. Fairtrade supports cooperatives which give farmers a combined bargaining power. It insists on equality for
women within these cooperatives and communities and it gives self-respect to those who have become the victims of international trade agreements, unequal food subsidies and our desire for cheaper and cheaper products.
Fairtrade is exactly what it says it is – fair. How much of the price of a £1.99 bar of chocolate do you think goes to the farmer who grew the cocoa? Probably less than 1p. For a Fairtrade chocolate bar maybe 6p. Someone somewhere is really grateful for that extra 5p.
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Fair Trade can of course include a whole range of produce and is not limited to food. I long for a time when all products are fair trade, from the clothes we wear and indeed every commodity we require.
Weaving Hope supply beautiful fair trade gifts for children and on my own blog I recently summarised the fair trade philosophy as encouraging people to “make active choices that improve the world whenever you spend your money.”
The supplier we use not only provides lovely working conditions for its workers, but bikes for them to use as well as other community products including helping fund a school.
It is a little like the free range eggs phenomenon, initially people wonder why you would pay extra for those eggs, but once they are educated they understand.
An interesting by product is that because the workers really care about the company and the products that they produce there is a perceptible increase in quality that is also associated with Fair Trade goods – food or otherwise.
I second the above comment from Joe!
Hopefully more and more people are getting more aware of the fact that fair trade products are not only consumable ones but wearable ones too. A well written article nonetheless!
i dont think this is very good…….. i dont really tell u about fair trade and dosent fair trade have somthing to do with money? anyway this website is very poor. sorry!!!!!
There is alot of Hard work and Effort that goes into Giving us Chocolate to Enjoy, Clothes to Wear.
If you eat Any Of The Below you Should Respect FairTrade and the people who Provide this to you:
Honey, Chocolate Bars, Coffee, Bannanas, Tea, Wine, Flowers, Sugar, Cotton, Gold, Fresh Fruit, Cocoa.
So, If for anybody who was thinking was Fairtrade was Stupid, Think again, See if you do Have Any Fairtrade things in your Cupboards, You may be Eating Some Fairtrade Chocolate Right now, Eating A Bannan, You never know, Just take a second to think again about Fairtrade.