One answer for small-scale farmers is fair
trade. Fair trade shares the bounty of the coffee trade with those who grow the
crop, helping them build a better future for themselves and their communities.
Through fair trade, farmers earn a fairer share of income, have access to services
that are otherwise unavailable, and gain long-term trading partners they can
trust.
By working together and pooling their resources
to form a cooperative, farmers can sell their coffee directly to international
buyers without relying on middlemen. They receive a fair price that not only
covers their costs of production but guarantees a fair wage for their labors.
Fair trade far surpasses the temporary assistance provided to farmers through
charity. Instead, the ongoing business of long-term, fair trade relationships
consistently contributes to the living conditions of farmers, their families
and their communities. Cooperatives use profits from fair trade coffee sales
to establish community development or improvement programs such as schools, health
clinics, and training in areas such as leadership development. Fair trade farmers
tend to use environmentally friendly growing practices — such as organic farming,
composting, and shade growing (interspersing coffee trees among other plants)
— all of which benefit the farmers, the land and the quality of the coffee. |
