What is Fair Trade?

___Fair trade is a social movement to aid marginalized producers, mostly in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa, providing them with greater business opportunities through trade based on communication and mutual respect. Fair trade organizations strive to promote social change through the trade relationships, such as gender equality in the workplace, and safe working conditions. By discouraging profit at the expense of the producer, the organizations tend to return a higher percentage of the profit from the sold goods back to the producer, in hope that it will help benefit their society, such as by funding schools.

 

What kinds of products are sold fair trade?

___Food products, such as sugar, honey, spices, teas, fruits, and most notably coffee and cocoa. Other items include cotton, clothing, and crafts.

 

___ "Rafael de Paiva was skeptical at first. If he wanted a 'fair trade' certificationfor his coffee____ __ crop, the Brazilian farmer would have to adhere to a long list ofrules on pesticides,farming __ __ __ techniques, recycling and other matters. He even had to show that his children were _ __ __ __ __ enrolled in school.
____"'I thought, ‘This is difficult,’' recalled the humble farmer. But the 20 percent premium____ __ __ he recently received for his first fair trade harvest made the effort worthwhile,Mr.Paiva ______ __said, adding, it 'helped us create a decent living.'"- Fair Trade in Bloom by Anthony Downie