What’s the Deal with Fair Trade?
Everyone???s got a cause these days. And where are some of the most heated debates? The grocery store, more specifically, the coffee aisle. In this day and age, you???re shunned for popping open a jar of instant coffee. Everyone expects something different. One person who cares wants organic, another will only consume sustainably farmed. It???s hard to keep up. But, if I may get on my soapbox, Fair Trade coffee is too important to ignore. The issue of Fair Trade has been quietly creeping into our everyday lives for years. The biggest battles are over chocolate and coffee.
Fair Trade refers to an equitable and fair partnership between consumers in North America and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The whole idea is to ensure that small farmers and producers are being paid fairly for their products. These increased payments can help otherwise poverty-stricken areas get access to healthcare, education and economic independence. And, beyond that, small farmers are the most environmentally sound farmers/producers available. So, you???re still supporting environmentally friendly practices, and helping fair labor practices span the globe.
Global Exchange, an ???international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the world, ??? gives some very compelling reasons you should buy Fair Trade Coffee
It’s a consumer trend. More and more people care about the conditions of the people who produce the products they buy. Coffee is the first commodity in the United States for which there is an independent monitor that guarantees that producers were paid a fair wage for their product and work in decent conditions — a real alternative to sweatshops.
This is a huge industry trend. Across the country, there are over 100 companies that have licensing agreements with TransFair to offer Fair Trade Certified coffee. Major roasters include Starbucks, Tully’s, Peet’s, Equal Exchange, Diedrich, and Green Mountain, serving over 7,000 retail locations, with volumes rising every day.
It’s an environmental issue. Small farmers are the best stewards of the land. When you support Fair Trade, you support the environment. Fair Trade farmers don’t have the capital input to clear forests, buy chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They generally grow small plots of mixed-crop, shade grown coffee organically.
The untold story of the gourmet coffee boom: it’s leaving small farmers behind. Prices are currently at 8-year lows, falling under $.50 per pound in August 2001 — yet retail prices stay high, meaning mass industry profits. Fair Trade brings small farmers into the boom.
Next time you buy your beans, take an extra moment and see if your preferred brand is a Fair Trade producer. If they aren???t, write a letter, and see if you can???t effect some change. Don’t let the overwhelming amount of information turn you off. If you buy Fair Trade, you’re supporting the environment, anti-slavery policy, and much more while still getting an excellent cup of coffee. It’s important to choose your consumer battles, and Fair Trade is worth the extra effort.
For more information, visit Global Exchange???s website.
Not to be a whole pain in the butt, but (get it, butt and but?) why would we think the small farmer in the rain forest is the “best steward… of the land”? The small farmer is concerned with one thing and one thing alone…survival. Rainforest is notoriously unfertile (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainforest) and the best way to survive is to grow and then burn a new section to grow next year. Now, I speak only of rainforest farmers and not of all other small farmers, but what make everyone sure they aren’t only concerned with living another day? How about we be more concerned with small farmers we actually can visit than this “equitable and fair partnership between consumers in North America and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean”? Let’s keep those guys in business and then we can worry about the deforesters in Brazil.
Just opening a discussion.