Fair Trade Products & Producer Profiles
Straight from GreenAmericatoday.org:
There is more than just coffee and chocolate that is available as Fair Trade these days! Keep up with this growing movement by learning about various Fair Trade products, their producers, and where to find them near you! VISIT THIS WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO More about bananas
from greenamericatoday.org:
- Without Fair Trade, fruit farmers often receive only a few cents a pound for their crop, far below the cost of production. In Ecuador, the cost of basic necessities for a family of four is $9.60 a day, but on non-Fair Trade farms, workers may earn as little as $3 a day, according to TransFair USA.
- A 2002 Human Rights Watch report claims that banana workers in Ecuador are the victims of serious human rights abuses. The report found that Ecuadorian children as young as eight work on banana plantations. The children earned an average of $3.50 per day, which is approximately 60% of the legal minimum wage for banana workers.
- Fair Trade certification for bananas, and other fruits such as mangoes, pineapples, and grapes, ensures that farmers receive a fair price for their fruit, and that farmworkers have good working conditions and receive fair wages. According to TransFair USA, the Fair Trade price is set to allow farmers to cover the costs of sustainable production, without the use of harmful agrochemicals, and provide a decent standard of living for farming families.
- Fair Trade farms are thoroughly inspected at least once a year to ensure that these standards are met.
- In addition to the fair price, small farmer cooperatives and plantation worker organizations receive a premium to invest in education, healthcare and crop diversification.
- With Fair Trade we have an incentive to invest in social programs that benefit producers and the community. We also receive higher incomes to sustain ourselves. If it were not for Fair Trade, we wouldn't exist as banana producers since the amount we receive for a box of conventional bananas does not cover our expenses.
—Edinson Cabana Zapata, member, ASOPROBAN, Colombia
I posted this under BLOG FOR CHANGE today, but I want to make sure it gets maximum exposure so I'm reposting on today's blog. People often ask me about fair trade and wonder exactly what it is. Click on the label or the links below to get your questions answered.
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