Comments on The Not Quite Crunchy Parent: Fair Trade- A Fairly Easy Explanation

I read an interesting article a few weeks ago in ...

2008-01-31T16:56:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting article a few weeks ago in Edible San Francisco about how many of the larger certified organic farms don't treat their workers very well. There's now apparently a push to have a domestic fair trade certification for farmers who are union-friendly and provide a living wage & health insurance to their workers, etc.

Thanks for the input from the Fair Trade community...

2008-01-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the input from the Fair Trade community. It was with some trepidation that I posted this fearing I still may not have it right. I'm interested in continuing to explore this area of interest and writing about it for we ordinary consumers rapidly becoming more socially aware.

Glad to see someone doing their homework. You'll f...

2008-01-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

Glad to see someone doing their homework. You'll find, as you look deeper into the Fair Trade world, that there is a lot of controversy still over what is and what isn't Fair Trade, even within the certifying world.

The organization you cited (IFAT - International Federation of Alternative Traders) has been around a lot longer than most of the certifying agencies and has a membership that includes LOTS of third world Fair Trade artisans and farmers who cannot afford to get certified by the -generally First World - certifiers.

I've spent the last decade working in the Fair Trade world and am very enthusiastic about the opportunities that first world consumers have to make our dollars count by working in partnership with people whose lives and villages have been pillaged by big corporations. Fair Trade really helps to turn this around.

The place I have been working is SERRV International, a fifty plus year old Fair Trade partner in the US that works with over 80 artisan and farmer groups in more than 40 countries. Our site is www.serrv.org.

Thank you for this--it is very informative.

2008-01-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

Thank you for this--it is very informative.

I have been making a concerted effort to be much m...

2008-01-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

I have been making a concerted effort to be much more socially responsible in my purchasing habits... yes, cost is a factor, but so is long term cost.

Great post!

Well done, Not Quite Crunchy Parent. I work in Fa...

2008-01-29T07:22:00.000-08:00

Well done, Not Quite Crunchy Parent. I work in Fair Trade awareness-raising and as you say, people have only a vague idea about what it all means. You've done a good job of summarising.
Here in the UK we start our annual Fairtrade Fortnight on February 25 and there will be events all over the country to promote the sale and use of Fairtrade products. I would just say that it is not just agricultural products that are certified with the Mark - there are in fact around 4000 items on sale here and these include sports balls, cotton wool, all kinds of cotton clothing and some cosmetics. The Fairtrade Foundation website on www.fairtrade.org.uk is worth a look.
FTleftie

Glad to know you are okay...I was wondering and ju...

2008-01-29T05:49:00.000-08:00

Glad to know you are okay...I was wondering and just about to drop you a line!