Fair trade: Making the Connection
Kailee Grimolfson
When you take that first satisfying sip of coffee in the morning, its warm aroma filtering through to your senses, you are probably not thinking of the impoverished southern coffee growers who have made it possible. Today that connection is being made through fair trade.
There has been a lot of hype around here lately regarding the concept of “fair trade” (FT). It can be heard in ads for Starbucks or Robin’s Donuts, it’s the focus of Fair Trade Manitoba’s (FTM) “One Month Challenge,” and here at school Engineers Without Borders (EWB) has organized a FT awareness campaign. So what is FT all about?
The idea of fair trade originated over 40 years ago in Europe as a grassroots movement. The goal was to alleviate prevailing poverty in southern countries by building direct, sustainable long-term relationships with producers. FT is an alternative way to fight poverty rather than the use of foreign aid, which is only a short-term fix.
The coffee industry brings in $5 billion a year, making it one of the most important commodities in the world economy. Under the conventional free-market system, four major corporations have managed to buy nearly half of the world’s coffee harvest. Those corporations are Nestle, Kraft, Sara Lee, and Procter & Gamble.
This conventional system distributes the generous benefits from the coffee industry to the corporations while leaving the southern farmers in poverty because they do not receive fair prices for their products. This has obvious implications for their education and general well-being.
Under the FT system, importers in the North purchase directly from small-scale farms organized by co-operatives in the South. This eliminates the “middlemen” in the conventional system that tends to take a large portion of the profits. Under the fair trade system, producers in the South are guaranteed a minimum price (1.26/lb) for their crop, despite what the world market’s price is.
The actual term “fair trade” is used to describe the certification and labelling system regulated by the not-for-profit Fair Trade Labelling Organization (FLO). FLO sets specific standards for certification and they are the ones who certify and monitor the co-operatives in the South. The organization includes 21 national initiatives including the Canadian Transfair Canada.
Though it is the most popular, coffee it is not the only FT product sold in Canada — others include cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, sports balls, roses, cereals, spices, wine and cotton.
Fair Trade Manitoba (FTM) and Engineers Without Borders (EWB) are two organizations that are informing Manitoban’s about FT. FTM is a group of Manitobans working together to increase awareness of FT principles and products. Fair Trade Manitoba is currently running the “One Month Challenge,” which encourages participants to drink only fair-trade coffee and eat only fair-trade chocolate for one month. It challenges consumers to begin thinking about their purchases and the ultimate implications involved. Although the deadline to sign up has passed, if you are up for the challenge, there is no problem in trying it out on your own.
Engineers Without Borders is a Canadian development organization that aims to promote human development and end extreme poverty. Currently, EWB is raising awareness about the importance of FT here at the U of M. Look for upcoming EWB events to learn more about FT.
Purchasing fair trade is becoming easier every day, as its popularity and demand increases. All coffee shops on campus have a fair trade blend except for Tim Hortons. All you have to do is ask for “fair trade.” Outside of campus, you can get FT coffee and chocolate at most Sobeys, Safeway and Superstore outlets, and the FTM website has a thorough guide to retailers that carry FT in Manitoba. To be sure you are buying legitimate fair trade products, look for the symbol.
The beauty of purchasing fair trade coffee on campus is that you can get a quality cup of coffee, for example Kicking Horse sold at Degrees or the Daily Bread Café, without the line ups of Timmy’s and for a better price.
Although FT is not the complete answer to alleviating poverty, it does make that essential connection between the consumer and the producer. It is a small choice that can have a positive impact.
