Happy Fair Trade Month
October
is Fair Trade Month, and you can celebrate by learning more about
Fair Trade, and then purchasing items that
are Fair Trade. Fair trade's strategic intent is to deliberately
work with marginalised producers and workers in order to help
them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic
self-sufficiency.
Education
Fair Trade provides farming families with the income
and stability they need to keep their children in school, not working
in the fields. From Nicaragua to India, Fair Trade farmer cooperatives
have provided school supplies, tuition and uniforms, set up scholarship
programs, and financed free, healthy meals for children.
Health
Fair Trade farming communities worldwide have
elected to invest Fair Trade premiums into lifesaving health
facilities and programs. From HIV/AIDS and First Aid programs to
drugs and
medication that help reduce the incidence of malaria, Hepatitis
B, typhoid, dengue fever, and anemia, disadvantaged farmers and
workers around the world have benefited from Fair Trade. Farmer
groups often provide emergency funds for workers, which helps
support them during health crises, as well as life insurance, which
is
highly uncommon in the developing world. Some cooperatives have
subsidized eye glasses and medical exams for members and their
families.
Women's Empowerment
The U.S. Fair Trade market provides
women from Bolivia to Papua New Guinea with funds for life-saving
health
programs,
micro-credit, income diversification opportunities, leadership
training, and more. Fair Trade cooperative members have fewer
cases of domestic violence than in the community at-large, due
to an
improved quality of life and greater personal empowerment, many
coop members say. One Honduran cooperative even views spousal
abuse as grounds for dismissal.
In contrast to the norm in many rural areas of the world, Fair
Trade cooperatives encourage women's active participation; women
occupy leadership positions in many Fair Trade cooperatives.
Environment
Fair Trade makes small-scale agriculture more profitable.
This discourages deforestation, and preserves traditional intercropped
farms that prevent erosion and protect wildlife. Fair Trade also
requires dramatic reductions in agrochemical use, forbids the
use of the most dangerous chemicals, and requires implementation
of
Integrated Crop Management (ICM) systems and other environmental
stewardship practices. Fair Trade also provides farmers and workers
with financial incentives and technical assistance to convert
to organic production. As a result, many Fair Trade Certified products
sold on the U.S. market are also certified organic. A guaranteed
premium for Fair Trade Certified organic products can put organic
agriculture within financial reach.
Many Happyhippie.com Retailers support Fair Trade.
You may also visit TransFair USA, which enables sustainable development
and community empowerment by cultivating a more equitable global
trade model that benefits farmers, workers, consumers, industry
and the earth.
Enter the Connect with Fair Trade Video Contest and win a free
trip to Peru!