Most Fair Trade producers live close to the land. They are either directly involved in farming fairtrade tea, coffee, bananas etc. or are subsistence farmers supplementing the family income with craft production. As such they are concerned about their environment and the land. Fair Trade actively encourages better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production. Revenue from Fair Trade cooperatives is used on a variety of community projects, including training of producers in organic and sustainable farming techniques (i.e. composting). Where possible fair trade premiums are invested in diversification. Cafe Direct and their project, Adaptation for Smallholders to Climate Change" (AdapCC), supports coffee and tea farmers in developing strategies to cope with the risks and impacts of climate change.
All Fairtrade certified producers are required to comply with the international Fairtrade environmental standard as part of the requirements of certification.8 The standard requires producers to ensure that they protect the natural environment and make environmental protection a part of farm management. Producers are also encouraged to minimize waste and the use of energy, especially energy from non-renewable sources.
There is the issue of transporting goods great distances so that well meaning consumers can make fair trade choices. Saving the planet is not solely about reducing carbon emissions. There are over one million people in Africa whose livelihoods depend on supplying fruit and vegetables into Ireland and the UK. Carbon Emissions from the Africa/British Isles trade route are a tiny portion of our worldwide total. Cutting off the income of this many people would cause devastation on a much greater scale than that caused by the emissions. Most Fair Trade goods are actually shipped and that would be the case with the majority of items we offer for sale at Arusha Fair Trade.
We must focus on the basic facts; the poorest people in the world will be affected most by climate change and the poorest people in the world have done the least to cause climate change. They need a sustainable income if they are to make the investments necessary to help them overcome climate change.
Fair Trade creates a way to secure this income for the farmers. Unfortunately, the benefits of Fair Trade are not reaching all Fair Trade farmers because of insufficient demand for their crops. Producers sell an average of 20% of their crop at Fair Trade terms; the rest goes through the world market at much lower prices. The same story goes for artisans. Lower prices mean that farmers and their families, in poor countries, live in poverty with no prospect of investing for climate change.
The prospect is appalling. If you haven’t done so already you need to watch this video: http://faceit.oxfamireland.org/video.php
All Fairtrade certified producers are required to comply with the international Fairtrade environmental standard as part of the requirements of certification.8 The standard requires producers to ensure that they protect the natural environment and make environmental protection a part of farm management. Producers are also encouraged to minimize waste and the use of energy, especially energy from non-renewable sources.
There is the issue of transporting goods great distances so that well meaning consumers can make fair trade choices. Saving the planet is not solely about reducing carbon emissions. There are over one million people in Africa whose livelihoods depend on supplying fruit and vegetables into Ireland and the UK. Carbon Emissions from the Africa/British Isles trade route are a tiny portion of our worldwide total. Cutting off the income of this many people would cause devastation on a much greater scale than that caused by the emissions. Most Fair Trade goods are actually shipped and that would be the case with the majority of items we offer for sale at Arusha Fair Trade.
We must focus on the basic facts; the poorest people in the world will be affected most by climate change and the poorest people in the world have done the least to cause climate change. They need a sustainable income if they are to make the investments necessary to help them overcome climate change.
Fair Trade creates a way to secure this income for the farmers. Unfortunately, the benefits of Fair Trade are not reaching all Fair Trade farmers because of insufficient demand for their crops. Producers sell an average of 20% of their crop at Fair Trade terms; the rest goes through the world market at much lower prices. The same story goes for artisans. Lower prices mean that farmers and their families, in poor countries, live in poverty with no prospect of investing for climate change.
The prospect is appalling. If you haven’t done so already you need to watch this video: http://faceit.oxfamireland.org/video.php
This blog has been posted as our contribution to Blog Action Day, an annual event held every October 15, that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. The topic for 2009 is Climate Change
