[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]You’re probably familiar with the fact that Mother’s Day always falls on the second Sunday of May, but did you know that every year on the second
Saturday of May folks all around the globe celebrate
World Fair Trade Day? Indeed! And perhaps that begs the question…
what is fair trade? Put simply,
fair trade is a way of doing business that prioritizes the long-term well-being of people and planet -- because you can’t have one without the other.
Why fair trade is important
Have you ever wondered why bananas—highly perishable tropical fruits—are available in virtually every place that sells food, from grocery stores to gas stations, for considerably less than a dollar a pound?
The global market positions many farmers who grow commodities, like bananas, cocoa and coffee, as price takers. This means that they have very little say on the selling price that they receive for the crops they have grown. It is common for these farmers to sell at a price that is lower than the total costs they’ve incurred throughout the production process.
In other words, farmer poverty is the result of ever-increasing costs of production (read: inflation!) and the deceptively low prices that American shoppers pay for their favorite foods and beverages. This isn’t fair, and it certainly isn’t sustainable. Poverty, resulting from decades of chronic underpayment to farmers, is the root cause of many sustainability issues in our global food system. That’s why Fairtrade America's efforts begin with price. But environmental, social and economic realities are all interconnected.
When farmers earn a fair price for their crops, they can afford to feed their families, keep their kids in school and make investments in the health of their farm. Without fair prices, however, it becomes incredibly challenging to prioritize long-term well-being over short-term survival. Under the pressure of poverty, practices like child labor and deforestation emerge.
Since 1988, when the very first Fairtrade Certified coffee hit the shelves of a supermarket in the Netherlands, Fairtrade America has been working across the supply chain to normalize fairness. We have lots of partners, including nearly 2 million farmers and workers across Latin America, Africa and Asia, and over 2,500 brands in Europe and North America.
Through our collective effort, there are more than 36,000 Fairtrade Certified products available all around the world, from bananas, cocoa and coffee to cashews, quinoa and vanilla beans.
How fair trade works
There are three core components to the way fair trade works: a unique pricing model, a rigorous set of standards and a network of regional experts who support fair trade farmers and workers. These three components are like interlocking gears that support momentum between each other. Together they help us to realize fairer prices, safer working conditions, climate resilience and gender equity.
Let’s explore a few different ways that participating in fair trade makes a difference for farming communities.
1. Advancing women's participation in coffee farming
Women make up 50% of the global population, but only 22% of fair trade coffee farmers are women. To support the participation of more women in coffee farming, Fairtrade America created a program called
Women in Coffee (a very original name, we know!).
At the beginning of the initiative, an agronomist started by asking women from two fair trade co-ops in Kenya, “What do you need?”. The women said that they were spending up to 20 hours per week collecting wood and lighting fires for their stoves, resulting in houses full of smoke and few hours to pursue coffee farming. The women articulated biogas as their desired replacement fuel. Fairtrade America partnered with them to realize this transition, and the results were pretty amazing:
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- 34 unemployed young adults, including 8 young women, were trained and hired as biogas masons.
- Households using this new fuel reported experiencing fewer respiratory and eye diseases.
- Women enjoyed a 60% reduction in time spent collecting wood.
- Communities witnessed a 75% reduction in the volume of firewood collected, curbing deforestation.
- Women members of the Kabng’etuny & Kapkiyai farming communities launched Zawadi, their own line of coffee.
By honoring the interconnections between gender equity, deforestation, household health and entrepreneurship, this initiative pushed the needle forward on social, economic and environmental sustainability.
2. Building childcare resources in West Africa
One way that Fairtrade America is supporting more women to become farmers is through Fairtrade Premium—the additional sum, on top of the selling price, that farming communities earn and invest in their sustainability priorities.
[caption id="attachment_184625" align="alignright" width="459"]
Rosine Bekoin (center) is accompanied by two other members of CAYAT, a farming community of Fairtrade cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire. Photo by Mohamed ALY Diabatae.[/caption]
Sinah Troaore, Chair of the Board of CAYAT, a fair trade cocoa farming community in Côte d’Ivoire, shares that her organization has used Fairtrade Premium to build two kindergartens. Why? To support children in accessing education as early as possible and, to quote CAYAT members, “to free up the women!”
All around the world women carry a disproportionate burden of child-rearing and household responsibilities. So, when the Fairtrade Premium can contribute toward the installation of water pumps, electricity and lights (three more investments that CAYAT members have chosen), it helps to shift women’s workloads and create new opportunity for their participation in farming.
Women contribute vital skills and perspectives to all workplaces, and in order to functionally support their participation, it’s important to zoom out and examine the broader context in which daily life unfolds. That’s precisely what CAYAT members did.
3. Supporting climate resilience and gender equity through income diversification
Participation in the Women’s School of Leadership is a year-long commitment for Fairtrade America farmers. It’s a combination of group classes, individual coaching sessions and projects within local communities. Collectively the training speaks to topics of gender equality, financial management, negotiation, income diversification and agricultural best practices.
The program began in 2017 with 22 women in Côte d'Ivoire, and, through a train-the-trainers model whereby participants return to their communities as ambassadors offering trainings to their peers, the reach of the program has extended to more than 6,000!
Many of these peer-led conversations have taken place within Women’s Associations across Fairtrade farming communities. Here, women find both allyship and material resources to help them continue to grow as leaders. One way that happens is through interest-free loans. These interest-free loans are a HUGE deal for at least three reasons:
- Many women work on farms alongside men in their families; but they aren’t always formally recognized as farm owners, making it all but impossible for them to apply for a loan.
- Even for men, it is notoriously difficult to access credit because agriculture is rife with profit loss risks.
- In order to achieve a decent livelihood amidst a changing climate, many farmers will need to diversify their income streams—and getting started in a new field or industry requires credit. Loans without interest mean these women are able to keep every hard-earned penny as they strive for a fairer future.
Women-led income diversification projects encapsulate the synergies between social, economic and environmental sustainability. By building climate resilience, improving women’s standing in their local communities and generating additional income, they are a potent tool in achieving sustainable livelihoods.
Look for the Fairtrade certified mark
When you see the Fairtrade Mark on your favorite spices, supplements, coffees and chocolates, it means that Fairtrade Standards for social, economic and environmental sustainability have been met all across the supply chain. So, let’s flex that purchasing power! Collectively, we have the power to shape the world we want to live in.
About Fairtrade America
Fairtrade America works to rebalance trade, making it a system rooted in partnership and mutual respect rather than exploitation. It's about businesses, shoppers, farmers and workers all working together so we can all experience the benefits of trade. Fairtrade America is the U.S. branch of Fairtrade International, the original and global leader in fair trade certification with more than 30 years of experience working for fair trading practices in more than 30 countries across the globe. A non-profit 501(c)3 organization, Fairtrade America is part of the world's largest and most recognized fair trade certification program—part of a global movement for change. Learn more at fairtradeamerica.org, and by connecting with Fairtrade America on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="184605" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1746807352066{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/kicking-horse-coffee-organic-kick-ass-dark-roast-whole-bean"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="184606" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1746807375819{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/organic-india-ashwagandha-90-vegetarian-capsules-4"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="184607" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1746807394904{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/adora-calcium-supplement-rich-milk-chocolate"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
