Fair Trade

International trade may seem a remote issue to us, but when commodity prices fall dramatically it has a catastrophic impact on the lives of millions of small scale subsistence farmers, forcing many into crippling debt and countless others to lose their land and their homes.

Products like coffee, tea and chocolate, that we in the north have come to depend on, are produced in the warmer climates of the south. The prices paid for these commodities have not risen in real terms over the last forty years, whilst the prices of fertilisers, pesticides and machinery (imported from the rich countries) has increased substantially.

Consequently many of the people who grow these crops are having to work harder and longer for less money. On top of this the market price of commodities frequently drops below the cost of producing them.

The low price of coffee in the early nineties had a catastrophic effect on the lives of millions of small farmers, forcing many into crippling debt and countless others to lose their land.

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay above market prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their lot and have more control over their lives.

For more information visit the fairtrade website www.fairtrade.org.uk