Oxfam America, an international relief and development organization committed to solving poverty, hunger, and injustice, informs us that "40% percent of the people on our planet-more than 2.5 billion-now live in poverty." [my italics] This type of statistic appalls me. Almost half the world is living in poverty, many starving or living in a subsistent manner. The Fair Trade Program is a system of community-based businesses providing prosperity and empowerment to artisans, farmers, and other producers of developing countries to help end poverty and protect the environment in the process. What a great combination!
Built into the Fair Trade Program are incentives for the community businesses to be environmentally sustainable. "Fair Trade producers are encouraged to use environmentally friendly practices that preserve the health of the soil, air, water and the workers boston red sox #20 jersey in the field," states the Guide to Fair Trade by Co-op America, a non-profit organization promoting Fair Trade. Co-ops receive a higher
Fair Trade is good for women and children too, because the price they earn for their products is enough to provide for community projects, boston red sox #20 jersey like wells and schools. This program ensures that women are paid equally to men and encourages women's participation in leadership in the business co-ops. The alternative of employment by multi-national corporations in these developing countries often means slave-labor standards and child-labor practices!
Fair Trade products such as coffee, chocolate, tea, fruit, sugar, rice are all imported to the United States through various companies. Homemade Crafts and Clothing fashioned by artisans worldwide are also sold. Often the exporter of these products is the co-op of crafters themselves, so that the myriad of middlemen is cut-out and more profits go directly to the people producing. You can find out more about Fair Trade co-ops and how to purchase them from websites like globalexchangestore.org and transfairusa.org .
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