FAIR TRADE ARTICLE

When a couple of religious groups started to have utopia ideas about how nice it would be to improve small farmers' of Asia and Africa’s living conditions and increase their income from selling their goods, no one expected that after several years, Fair Trade would represent a worldwide known organisation successfully working in 58 developing countries.
Luckily, we live in a time when the public has started to be aware and, what's far more important, interested of what is going on in less fortunate and undeveloped parts of the world. Despite quite alarming truths of the world today, such as the fact that some countries dispose of huge amounts of nuclear weapons that could destroy several places on Earth, and that the fact that we live in a time of the biggest extinction of animals since The Ice Age, the problem of poverty is the most serious and important issue we have to face. Unlike many charity organisations helping people in developing countries, Fair Trade has completely different principles and basis. The motto of Fair Trade used to be 'Trade, not Aid' – and the important factor here and major difference from charities is that FT helps the farmers get out of their poverty and injustice by their own hard work, and trading their products. It is a whole political concept, thought through to the tiniest detail during the time it was developing. The main image is that FT creates a bridge between the producer (meaning disadvantaged farmers and workers in developing countries) and the consumer; say us, by omitting the agent in-between.

Therefore, farmers who can't store their products don't have to sell them straight after the harvest for a very low price. They are also encouraged to co-operate and work in communities. In these unions they can then decide how to use this money. Apart from that, FT provides the producers with future security – the price they are paid will always cover the cost of production. It's amazing how Fair Trade has developed over the last two decades. From selling simple handicrafts in churches or fairs to so-called Worldshops which are special markets scattered across Europe.

Those were the only places where FT goods were available after the organisation officially got off the ground in the Netherlands in late 1980s. Now, the FT products can be found in almost every supermarket and distribution channel and therefore the availability to buy them is very good. These products include coffee, bananas (those provide the highest sales), tea, cocoa, chocolate, honey, bananas, orange juice and sugar. All these goods are tested for top quality and little use of pesticides – so there is even an environmental benefit.

Many people, usually those who don’t know a lot about Fair Trade, argue that the farmers get just a negligible amount of money and it’s all just a useless political gesture. Firstly, there is a question of what is negligible for someone who earns less than $2US a day (£1.26) – and this standard is represented by 2 billion working people in the world. Secondly, Fair Trade is not just about the fact that a few more cents return back to the producer. Fair Trade has far more goals and principles. Apart from the improvement of living conditions, it helps producers develop knowledge and improve skills, provides medical care for farmers and their families and watches human rights by forbidding child slavery work. So as Fair Trade claims – all this really makes a difference to the lives and futures of the people.

After all these things I’ve learnt about Fair Trade, (all coming from the simple idea to contribute to Freeway magazine), I’m definitely going to enjoy my regular cup of coffee in Starbucks or Cadbury chocolate more – How about you?