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Post by Gregory Hewett on Mar 5, 2008 11:14:42 GMT 5.5
October 2, 2007 Fair Trade in Bloom By ANDREW DOWNIE
VARGINHA, Brazil — Rafael de Paiva was skeptical at first. If he wanted a “fair trade” certification for his coffee crop, the Brazilian farmer would have to adhere to a long list of rules 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.”
More farmers are likely to receive such offers, as importers and retailers rush to meet a growing demand from consumers and activists to adhere to stricter environmental and social standards.
Mr. Paiva’s beans will be in the store-brand coffee sold by Sam’s Club, the warehouse chain of Wal-Mart Stores. Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s and Starbucks already sell some fair trade coffee.
“We see a real momentum now with big companies and institutions switching to fair trade,” said Paul Rice, president and chief executive of TransFair USA, the only independent fair trade certifier in the United States.
The International Fair Trade Association, an umbrella group of organizations in more than 70 countries, defines fair trade as reflecting “concern for the social, economic and environmental well-being of marginalized small producers” and does “not maximize profit at their expense.”
According to Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, a group of fair trade certifiers, consumers spent approximately $2.2 billion on certified products in 2006, a 42 percent increase over the previous year, benefiting over seven million people in developing countries.
Like consumer awareness of organic products a decade ago, fair trade awareness is growing. In 2006, 27 percent of Americans said they were aware of the certification, up from 12 percent in 2004, according to a study by the New-York based National Coffee Association.
Fair trade products that have experienced the biggest jump in demand include coffee, cocoa and cotton, according to the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations.
Dozens of other products, including tea, pineapples, wine and flowers, are certified by organizations that visit farmers to verify that they are meeting the many criteria that bar, among other things, the use of child labor and harmful chemicals.
There is no governmental standard for fair trade certification, the same situation as with “organic” until a few years ago. Some fair trade produce also carries the organic label, but most does not. One important difference is the focus of the labels: organic refers to how food is cultivated, while fair trade is primarily concerned with the condition of the farmer and his laborers.
Big chains are marketing fair trade coffee to varying degrees. All the espresso served at the 5,400 Dunkin’ Donuts stores in the United States, for example, is fair trade. All McDonald’s stores in New England sell only fair trade coffee. And in 2006, Starbucks bought 50 percent more fair trade coffee than in 2005.
Fair trade produce remains a minuscule percentage of world trade, but it is growing. Only 3.3 percent of coffee sold in the United States in 2006 was certified fair trade, but that was more than eight times the level in 2001, according to TransFair USA.
Although Sam’s Club already sells seven fair trade imports, including coffee, this will be the first time it has put its Member’s Mark label on a fair trade product, which Mr. Rice of TransFair called “a statement of their commitment to fair trade.”
He added, “The impact in terms of volume and the impact in terms of the farmers and their families is quite dramatic.”
Michael Ellgass, the director of house brands for Sam’s Club, said the company could afford to pay fair trade’s premium because it has reduced the number of middlemen.
Coffee usually passes from farmers through roasters, packers, traders, shippers and warehouses before arriving in stores. But Sam’s Club will buy shelf-ready merchandise directly from Café Bom Dia, the roaster here in Brazil’s lush coffee country.
“We are cutting a number of steps out of the process by working directly with the farmer,” Mr. Ellgass said.
Some critics of fair trade say that working with thousands of small farmers makes strict adherence to fair trade rules difficult.
Others argue that fair trade coffee is as exploitive as the conventional kind, especially in countries that produce the highest-quality beans — like Colombia, Ethiopia and Guatemala. Fair trade farmers there are barely paid more than their counterparts in Brazil, though their crops become gourmet brands, selling for a hefty markup, said Geoff Watts, vice president for coffee at Chicago’s Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea, a coffee importer.
But in Brazil, a nation with little top-grade coffee, the partnership between small producers and big retailers is a better blend, Mr. Watts said.
Fair trade coffee farmers in Brazil are paid at least $1.29 a pound, compared with the current market rate of roughly $1.05 per pound, said Sydney Marques de Paiva, president of Café Bom Dia.
Most coffee farmers are organized into cooperatives, and some of that premium finances community projects like schools or potable water.
Like most of his cooperative’s 3,000-odd members — and three-quarters of coffee growers worldwide — Mr. Paiva, the coffee farmer (no relation to Mr. Marques de Paiva), farms less than 25 acres of land. He produces around 200 132-pound sacks for the co-op, with 70 percent of that sold as fair trade to Café Bom Dia.
The company would buy more if there were more of a market for fair trade coffee, it said.
The fair trade crop brought Mr. Paiva about 258 reais ($139) a sack, compared with about 230 reais for the sacks that were not fair trade. For the latest crop, that meant an additional 3,920 reais ($2,116) for him, a huge sum here in the impoverished mountains of Minas.
“It’s been great for us,” Mr. Paiva said with a huge, toothless grin. “I call the people from the co-op my family now.”
Mr. Ellgass, the Sam’s Club executive, said the chain hoped to expand its fair trade goods.
So do Brazil’s farmers. “Everybody is doing their best to come up to standard so we can sell our coffee as fair trade,” said Conceição Peres da Costa, one of the co-op’s growers. “Everybody wants to earn as much as he can.”
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Post by jayanth23 on Mar 8, 2008 14:54:52 GMT 5.5
This article essentially talks about the growing popularity of fair trade products across the world. Although the products in the scheme might be a little more expensive you know that the product your buying is safe. In order for someone’s product to qualify for this certification their life styles as well as their methods of produce are assessed. Though the process might be tedious a Brazilian farmer said it was well worth it. His products were sold at much higher rates. He also received a 20% premium in his first fair trade harvest. Many other farmers like this one receive benefits from the governments or the imports and retailers. These types of benefits attract more farmers to take the test. It also helps the governments to make sure that all its producers are doing things the right way.
This well definitely be a benefit for the middle class farmers, but what about the poorer farmers. They are the ones that need it the most. They cannot get the certification, as the farmers are assed according to their live styles as well. I think the World Trade Organization should re think their scheme to accommodate the poorer less fortunate farmers. On the other hand it raises a bar for all farmers. They know in order to compete with other products they need to get the certification. Thus improving the conditions of both the farmers as wells as the produce.
According to this article the word is fast spreading about fair trade produce, which is a good thing. It helps the authorities to catch tax avoiders and criminals, even drug producers. It also benefits the consumers as all the goods are tested and certified. This scheme is currently concentrated in the United States. Hopefully this scheme will become very popular throughout the world so that we can all sleep in place knowing that things we buy are safe.
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Post by yeeun on Mar 8, 2008 15:55:48 GMT 5.5
Summary Many Brazilian farmers started having more products by fair trading with other direct consumers. Not like a normal trade, this idea of fair trade minimizes the procedures that take a part in a trade. Which means it reduces the numbers of mediators who connect both seller and buyer. So it takes off the bubble of the product¡¯s price and gives goods for both farmers and consumers; Farmers can take advantage of having more products, and consumers can buy products with a much cheaper price. However, today¡¯s most benefited example of fair trade is coffee, and it fair trades with the global franchise restaurants. Though not all agricultural products are having fair trades with the global direct buyers successfully, like coffee beans, it is a pretty clear image that this concept of fair trade is taking a part in the global market and as well as the consumers.
Thoughts and questions
Though the idea of fair trade is very productive for both seller and the consumers, I do not think it can be much activated with all different agricultural products. What I mean is the common agricultural products, such as meal, wheat, rice, etc, would not have a chance of success in fair trade because not like Coffee, since most countries can produce these common crops in their own lands, why would they spend more money or time to import these crops from other countries? Also on the other hand, if the common products want to success in fair trade, their products should be certified as a very high quality by the global market and consumers, but here my question is since these farmers are extremely poor and barely continue their lives with the small amount of income, how can they spend money on publicizing their products? Or since their product is very common, how other countries get interests about their products¡¯ high quality first?
And here my last question is, what if this idea of fair trade becomes active then, would the mediator of the past trade just accept their position; doing nothing but watching the win-win trade between consumers and producers without them?
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Post by eliasse on Mar 9, 2008 11:33:30 GMT 5.5
SUMMARY
Many countries from south America(Specially Brazil) become really important for the production of some activities related on manufacture, and agriculture. So this constant increasing of people that wants these product from Brazil gave it many opportunities to increase their Economy, so with the passage of the time the number of farmers increase, but also the price that they want to earn. So to front all of these problems, the state begins to increase the price of their product, but this prices are increasing really slow because these companies that produce the principal products doesn’t want to loose these customer just because the price is too high, so they are constantly and lightly increasing the prices of these products, I mode that the farmers can earn a high salary, the costumers still buy those products, and these companies doesn’t have any trouble with the necessity of money. OPINION & IDEAS
My opinion about this article is that Brazil is doing the same thing that other states did during the history. When certain products begins to become really famous in the world, the principal producers begins to have some problems related at the salary of the workers, at the cost of the production, and other things like those. So as I said the principal thing that they do is to try to make a right balance between the prices of the products that are selling and the salary of the workers. I saw many times this case in my country, and today most of the companies that had these problems today are moving on other states, so I think that among several year in Brazil will happen the same thing, and maybe it will have to move most of the countries on another place, but for the moment the principal thing is that the economy of Brazil should keep work, and continue until the necessity of money will be tto high to give them the possibility to remain on the own country.
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Post by sam on Mar 9, 2008 13:04:10 GMT 5.5
-Fair Trade in Bloom
In a nutshell, this article talks about the economy’s interest in fair trade and its growing popularity and convenience. Poor farmers in South American countries, for example, are greatly benefiting from the business that the large companies interested in fair trade are providing. Although fair trade seems to be causing a small amount of controversy, those who are directly involved do not seem to be complaining about what they are being provided with. There are many complications and policies to follow, but it appears to be well worth it for those reaping the benefits. The providers of the fair trade products must fill out various forms offering proof of pesticide use, education of his children, and among other things, recycling.
My personal opinion about this is based on the fact that the people who need a better financial situation seem to be gaining more stability. Although not everyone who needs the money and business can meet the requirements, the fact that some can, and are profiting from it is a decent alternative to no one benefiting from it.
However, it is easy to see how some could think that the companies are simply taking advantage of the uneducated farmers of South America. But they seem to be satisfied with whatever they are receiving, and they are receiving a more stable financial situation, and like the Brazilian farmer said, he feels like the fair trade agents are his family.
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Post by eunjucho on Mar 9, 2008 13:06:41 GMT 5.5
This article is basically about people that ¡®free trade¡¯. This article focused more on coffee beans, though. This tells the stories of people who free trade and how it benefits their families. For example, Mr. Rafael de Paiva thinks free trade is very pleasant experience for them because it gave them decent living style, according to this article. Plus, other countries and how they are benefited by the whole free trade is shown through this article. This also explains how free trade works and how people are aware of this now. According to this article, it is said that only 12 percent of people were aware of this and now 27 per cent of people know about it nowadays. In addition, more people are buying or selling free trade crops or handicrafts from developing countries. I found out that it is very beneficial for two countries that trade. I find this article quite pleasant and good because the farmers and laborers on the field who work so hard to support their families can actually get higher amount of money from fair trade. This article says that Mr. Paiva got about 230 reais per sack but after he decided to free trade, he gets about 258 reais which is quite a lot. Just think how much that means to them. I am happy to hear that more farmers are going to be receiving more of these offers, which shows that a lot of people can actually be benefited and live better lives. Also, I think it is good that how free trade is gradually spreading throughout the United States because more farmers in developing nations can improve their lives. Maybe other countries will do the same thing or are already doing it. This article was very interesting. I only have been thinking about good things about fair trade. Now I wonder if there are any negative impacts on fair trade because the article says that there are some criticisms by certain people. If there are, I want to know what they are. Also, if fair trade was so good and helpful for everyone, why is it that there are only few companies or chains that free trade? Is it because of the restrictions and rules or the U.S. government? The last question that I have is: what are the rules that you need to follow to free trade? The very beginning of the news says some things about the rules and the information they needed. In the future, I think more fair trading will occur because it is good for both of the countries. If there are more disadvantages to it, then I do not think free trading will increase. I hope it does though, because it definitely helps the poor countries or economies of developing countries.
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Post by rikke on Mar 9, 2008 17:58:20 GMT 5.5
My opinion to this current event is that mainly I think it is good that they are working more with the farmers, and that they have more fair-traded. Furthermore, I also think it is good that in shops like Starbucks and McDonald’s only shell fair-trade coffee. I think that makes it fairer for the farmers too. What I was wondering, is if the farmers get enough money for selling their coffee to the companies and to the people? I mostly think that this is a good way to do it, but I don’t like that they use labor. Don’t they have the rights to work for a normal job too, think of human rights? Sometimes when you look at labor, people don’t really think about them at all, that I hate. They are just human beings like everybody else.
This article is basically about fair trade, and how to fair trade coffee between the farmers and the buys or companies, and it talks about how there in the world is coming more fair trade, especially when it has to do with coffee, cocoa, and cotton, which are the most common used. This article also talks about how the economy have an interested for fair-trade, and how it is growing the population in the world. One thing they mention in this article is that they “could afford to pay for the fair trades premium, but only because it has reduced a certain number of men,” I like that is really sad, also because further more he says that they worked with so many farmers. Why don’t you work with less from the beginning then you don’t have to reduce people, that would work better I think.
-Does the people in the company or the farmers them self make sure that they get enough money for their coffee? -Do the farmers have anything to do with it afterwards? -How do the shops like Starbucks and McDonalds know that it is fair trade coffee or not? -Can they see it? , or do they just believe the people there come with it, or the people they buy it form? -Do you think the fair trade will increase or decrease? -Does this improve the farmer’s lives?
What might happen next is that it will continue most likely, with maybe some few changes. I think and hope that the fair trade will increase, but also that the farmers will get more money from the coffee they produce. Another thing I hope and think will happen is that the companies will make it fairer doing the process, and work with less people maybe, so they don’t have to reduce any of them.
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Post by pyeonchan on Mar 9, 2008 19:09:51 GMT 5.5
One of the main problems that has been blamed for the increase of prices for all products was the intervention of the brokers. Since the brokers connect the consumers and manufacturers regardless of the types of products, the brokers have always tried to make huge profits between the consumers and manufacturers. However, in the South America, the trade system starts to be changed, especially from coffee industry. Through a fair trade with international chain store such as Starbucks, Dunkin¡¯ Donuts, or MacDonald, the farmers can get more profits through the direct deals and trades. By becoming fair trade certifiers and consumers, both can take a benefit through removing the complicated processes that needed to deal with the retailers or importers.
Furthermore, as the markets of fair trade become bigger and bigger, the awareness of civilians on the fair trade also rapidly increases, and the types of products using the fair trade method through a certification also rise. Though some people claim that the good quality products cannot be treated well compared to its quality of products, the tendency of fair trade is going to be an important way in trade for the profits of both producers and consumers.
What I think as the effect of fair trade is the stabilization of price of commodities. Since the producers and consumers directly deal with the trade, the brokers are going to lose the area that can stand, and it will lead to the reduction of prices. Moreover, the civilians would feel that their economic systems become better.
However, I am sure that the brokers, who get profits through trading between the consumers and producers, are going to oppose the tendency of fair trade. Though the fair trade system can contribute to establishing good market system, a lot of brokers are going to lose their ways to earn money. Perhaps the fair trade organization should give an appropriate solution for the brokers as well in order to form and adhere a fair trade into the whole world.
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Post by sohee on Mar 9, 2008 19:14:04 GMT 5.5
Summary: Basically this current event talks about the fair trade of coffee. Fair trade is becoming popular to people and it has experienced the successes especially coffee, cocoa, and cotton. Fair trade is benefiting over lots of developing nations, and according to Fair-trade Labeling Organizations International, the consumers in 2006 has spent 42 percent more than 2005. Although Fair trade produce remains very little percentage of world trade, still the number of fair trade is growing in this world. In Brazil, the farmers are fair trading with other countries, selling coffee beans, and they said the fair trade helps them to be live in better living conditions.
My opinions and research: 1) Base on my research, the key principles of fair trade are opportunities for disadvantaged producers, management and fair relationship with trade partner, capacity buildings, paying fair price, gender equality, safe working conditions, and enviromental protection. 2) I know and I can guess that fair trade gives lots of advantages to almost all the people in this world, but I am really curious about the disadvantage of fair trade. Indeed, this is one of my questions for this article. Many workers are living in better living conditions by help of fair trade and I hope it continues and the world become richer and make poor people to live in better lives. Also I wish there will be another project which is similar with fair trade but more beneficial for the producers, not only coffee but the other things too.
Questions: 1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of fair trade? 2) Who started ¡®Fair trade¡¯ project and when did it start? 3) Is there any project which is similar to fair trade? 4) I don¡¯t think the fair trade will be beneficial even in the future. What is the future of fair trade? Will it be still helpful to producers or may be become worse?
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Post by jihyeyun on Mar 9, 2008 19:15:51 GMT 5.5
This article is about a ‘fair trade’. A ‘fair trade’ refers the trade which reflects the concerns about environment and the benefit of small producers. People seem like they are aware of this trade and more and more people have started to purchase fair trade products. The biggest difference between the organic and fair trade is that ‘organic’ refers the products and the process of produce, however, this fair trade focuses on not on the processes of produce products more concerning about the condition of the farmers and laborers. People pay little more for the fair trade products and workers like $0.24 than current market price. The cooperatives made by farmers spend premium finances on community project like schools or potable water. In the past, developing nations didn’t want to open the market importing foreign goods. The first reason was that local products are affected. They would collapse because people will buy only the better quality of foreign goods. In addition, the second reason was about the foreign currency to purchase. If the country has to spend so much on consumer goods than when the country imports petroleum and other necessary resources, the country will not have enough foreign currency. Developed nations wanted them to open their markets. Thus, the organization like IMF, World Bank forced developing nations to open their markets to open their markets. Developing nations blocked products from the foreign and did not allow importing anything and it has been a constant struggle for the free trade for a long time between developing nations and developed nations. Only from 1990, developing nations changed and they believed that technology from foreign can develop the country’s products. Free trade means that sell products in any country without putting taxes on it – duty, import taxes. However, since developing nations opened up their market, they thought that it is not a free trade. Developed nations give subsidies to agricultural sectors while developing nations don’t. Thus developing nations think that it is not fair and the term has changed from free trade into fair trade. However, the term, ‘fair trade’, has improved further more; this trade considers more should not destroy environment and consider the conditions of workers which are newly added to the requirements. People now trade in the manner of protecting human’s right. This trade protects exploitation of the poor or harming the poor or any workers and labors and better for the small producers.I guess that the reason people especially in America purchase more of fair trade products is that after they experienced losing jobs and hardship since developing nations opened up their markets, they could understand those workers who are exploited and abused. Before, people and the trade are more focused on the products. Yet, in the present, people started to see more of the long-term consequences. If farmers use pesticide to get more apples, people think about ground water and they know that the contaminated ground water eventually will pollute community, which makes more sense. In addition, the condition for the workers and farmers are getting better and better and now world is started to realize what is fair and equal. What would be the improved trade from this fair trade, which aspects can be addressed in the future? What solutions do developing nations to have more fair trade with developed nations?
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Post by sujata on Mar 9, 2008 20:42:46 GMT 5.5
This article is basically about how important fair trade is becoming, and how it is giving nations a chance to make their standards of living better. This article uses a coffee farmer in Brazil as an example, but fair trade is not only affecting the farmers of Brazil but is affecting people all over the world, and for the people that need it the most, it is affecting them positively, like the poor farmers in nations. Fair trade directly affects all nations involved with it, and its outcome is defiantly going to be beneficial for these countries that are choosing to adopt fair trade. This is also going to affect all those farmers out there, like the example used, because it gives them a chance to deal directly with the people that are trading it and will not get exploited.
This event that the article talks about is about a Brazilian coffee farmer that is earning more money due to fair trade. It talks about how he needed to go through a long procedure, a lot paper work, including the fact that his children are in school to be able to trade the way he is, but it is defiantly worth it because of the benefits he is getting, because of the money he's earning now. He is now able to give his family a better life, and probably give his children a better education in the long run, making sure they don't end up being farmers and do something which requires less labor, and is more productive. The article also mentions how fair trade certified places in the US are assisting these developing nations with fair trade.
This event is extremely significant because fair trade is a playing a major role in the economic development of developing nations. It is making it easier for these nations to trade and not get exploited, because many nations cannot afford to get more exploited than they already are, and fair trade will really assist them financially. Although the government isn't too involved with fair trade, they probably will get more involved with this if necessary.
I'm predicting that a lot more of the world's trade will become fair trade, only because it will be a lot better for those nations that need the money. It will guarantee that the poor of the nation aren't getting exploited, which is extremely important in today's day and age.
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Post by sofiekh on Mar 9, 2008 21:55:26 GMT 5.5
Fair trade is the future
this current event is basically about the fair trade farmers and companies. McDonalds, dunkin’ donuts, wal-mart stores and star bucks have fair trade coffee. It is a good deal for the farmers who produce the coffee. You can see that the thing you are buying is fair trade, because there should be a little label saying that it is fair traded. The farmers are treated better when it is fair trade. Sam’s club cuts a number f steps out so they work directly with the farmer. some say tat fair trade coffee is an exploitive as the conventional kind, mainly the countries with the best beans. The farmers earn more money by using the fair trade.
fair trade is a good thing for the poor coffee farmers around the world, the earn more money and they get better service. Fair trade is growing fast and we see more stores with the fair trade cooperation. I remember when I lived in Denmark, there was a whole store called fair trade and you could buy absolutely anything, but we always bought the coffee. It is good that the poor farmers have this incredible opportunity to join fair trade. it costs more than the normal coffee, but it helps the farmers. I think we should all buy fair trade coffee. Many countries already have fair trade in their country. After a couple a years fair trade will be bigger and all the countries will probably have it. I hope so.
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Post by devin on Mar 9, 2008 22:04:18 GMT 5.5
This article talks about how free trade is growing and more people are taking interest in it across the globe. You see the poor farmers in South America are growing these crops and coffee and it is being sold for a miniscule price in that country. Now with fair trade they can make more money for the same thing and sell more of it and make more money of it. Many big companies are interested in this fair trade and then the poor make even more money.
Some people complain about it but those involved and getting better benefits could really care less. There are certain documents and forms that the owner of the merchandise has to fill out, most of which is proof that he has certain things.
In my opinion this is a good thing for all those poor south Americans out there just trying to make a living, but my question is what would happen if fair trade all of a sudden just stopped, no one took interest in it anymore? What would happen to all those intertwined in it and those that depend on it so much?
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Post by miriam on Mar 10, 2008 2:56:20 GMT 5.5
October 2, 2007 Fair Trade in Bloom By ANDREW DOWNIE
RESPONSE
What this article is about is fair trade in Varginha, Brazil, and how it is helping Brazilian farmers.
It deals with many issues, including, how much more product of specific firms mentioned in this article is fair trade and how they are still trying to improve it. A good example would be coffee, “Big chains are marketing fair trade coffee to varying degrees. All the espresso served at the 5,400 Dunkin’ Donuts stores in the United States … is fair trade. All McDonald’s stores in New England sell only fair trade coffee. And in 2006, Starbucks bought 50 percent more fair trade coffee than in 2005.”
Another thing that this article talks about is awareness, mostly about free trade in regards to coffee. “In 2006, 27 percent of Americans said they were aware of the certification, up from 12 percent in 2004, according to a study by the New-York based National Coffee Association.”
For farmers there are both negative as well as positive qualities of fair trade. On one hand, one of the negative ones is that it is extremely hard to get a ““fair trade” certification”. “The Brazilian farmer would have to adhere to a long list of rules on pesticides, farming techniques, recycling and other matters. He would even have to show that his children are enrolled in school.” On the other hand, the main positive quality is that “the 20 percent premium” the farmer would “recently receive for” the “ … fair trade harvest” would make “the effort worthwhile,…,it” would help the farmers whole family “to create a decent living.”
The fair trade is really making a difference for the little private farmers in Brazil, and, quickly touching upon one topic that was just slightly mentioned in this article, I think that it is great that at the same time, finally, some people have “reduced the number of middlemen” cashing in all the money.
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Post by hawklim on Mar 10, 2008 10:35:45 GMT 5.5
This article shows about the good side of the free and fair trade, how do they change the situation goingon for the business or how the real big company such as Mcdonald, Dunkin Dounut or other big fast food company of world wide international company’s trades. The Brazilian farmer in this artice, by changing the route he trades, he takes more money and getting better benifts by changing into the fair trade. This article even shows that people whoever do not know well about the trades, they can success by using fair trade. However, the first step to use fair trade or the free trade, people who want for it, they need to get the permission from the government. Conversely, once they success getting permission from the government, they will be able to live better lives and more money. In my opinion, free or fair trade, they both are really hard to figure out when we work on it for the first time. For example, the farmer mainly dicussed about this article, states that before he started getting the permission from the government and starts fair trade, it seem to be real tough and he cannot control it. I am sure he really did not expect the result of the fair trade that he did,(He was not sure and afraid about how the buyers think about his product) but the fair trade just gave him better effects. Therefore, I think people whoever try, they can gain something.
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Post by arpitav on Mar 10, 2008 21:48:12 GMT 5.5
This article is about the how much fair trade is growing everywhere around the world. Fair trade is expanding and it is expanding to more big name companies such as McDonalds and Starbucks. Of course, fair trade does benefit some people. I have a feeling that in the near future fair trade will become more and more popular and at some point it will be used everywhere around the world. One the surface, it seems fair to those less unfortunate people in developing countries. However there are many questions that pop into my head, will other big companies want to use fair trade since it would be helping those companies that are independent and not as successful? Will fair trade benefit everyone; in other words, is it a so-called ‘win-win’? What negatives, if any, are there?
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Post by meehye on Mar 11, 2008 20:08:29 GMT 5.5
Before, Mexico trade is not fair. It did not help poor people, like farmer. They did not respect people and they did not care about that. But for that, Mexico made some document for poor people. That document is about that they protect and care about poor farmer. They decide have those documented for poor people- farmer.
Before, trade is poor people make more poor and rich people make richer. So it is not fair. But everyone say that, it was fair. Of course, it is fair for rich people because they can be richer because of these kinds of trade. However, for poor farmer, even though, they did not think about them. This trade makes that poor become poorer. It is not fair trade for them. Finally, they start to care about them. And then they make some document for them in the trade. It is not really fair trade. It needs to other countries too. They have to make that system for their own countries¡¯ people, when they do trade with other countries.
What is exact way of protect them? How much do poor people become better life? is it useful to poor people? I want to know more about the document and what they write there.
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