Paper

Adam Southgate
October 14, 2009
Environmental Science

Did you know that a good amount of the food and items that we use on a daily basis are grown or made by people that are in third world conditions, and aren’t paid fair wages? Fair-trade is a movement that aims to help such people, producers in developing countries. This helps restore these people there human rights, which I shall touch on later throughout my paper. When you buy something that Fair-Trade Certified, the price is covering the cost of production and a living wage for the producer that covers their food, shelter, clothing, education, and medical care. The Fair-trade system provides benefits to farmers, workers, consumers and the environment:

About 1.5 million workers and farmers in 58 developing countries within Africa, Asia, and Latin America benefit from Fair-trade. Some of these benefits include a improved role in the trade of their produce, better access to low or no-interest loans, assistance for building infrastructure to improve production, communications systems, and better health care and education.

The Fair-trade system benefits consumers by having the opportunity to buy things with their own principles, being empowered by the fact they get to play their part in addressing global trade inequities and high quality products in exchange.


Fair-trade encourages farming and production practices that are environmentally sustainable, such as integrated farm management systems, which minimize pollutants, pesticides and herbicides, organic agriculture techniques, and banning harmful pesticides.

The most common items sold through fair trade are Coffee, Tea, Herbs, Cocoa, Chocolate, Fresh Fruit, Sugar, Rice, and Vanilla. Fairtrade.net notes on why they’re aren’t more types of things sold fair-trade, “It takes a great deal of time and money to develop Fair-trade Standards to ensure that new Fair-trade Products really will benefit producers. The initial focus of Fair-trade was on agricultural commodities, such as coffee and tea, which have the most widespread impact on the livelihoods of small producers and workers in the developing world. Since then, the scope of Fair-trade is continuously being extended to other agricultural products and some manufactured products such as sports balls.”

This graph really helps me in that it explains how Fair Trade is different then regular supply chains. They say they like to stay away from middle-mans and work straight through a cooperative company that helps out fair trade distributors. In other words, there is a lot less meaningless fluff to get your goods.

http://www.greenamericatoday.org/programs/fairtrade/whattoknow/images/supplychain-updated.jpg

They also note on what the price of Fair-trade items goes to, “Every time you buy a certified Fair-trade product, the producer organization or plantation receives the Fair-trade price (where it exists) and an additional social premium to invest in social, environmental and business development. However, it is important to note that these payments are not linked to the retail price of the final finished product.”

To conclude, Fair-trade certified foods have no negative other then a slightly higher price. If thought is put into what you buy, then you should have no problem in helping producers in third world countries get a better earning and be able to supply for themselves.



Green America, “Fair Trade: Economic action to create a just global economy for farmers and artisans.” 2004. Accessed 15 September 2009.
http://www.greenamericatoday.org/programs/fairtrade/

Reykia Fick, “Global Fair-trade sales increase by 22%” 4 June 2009. Fairtrade labeling Organizations International (FLO).
http://www.fairtrade.net/single_view1.html?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=105&tx_ttnews[backPid]=361&cHash=1082e96b5e