Fair Trade
Fair Trade improves the lives of over 5 million people – small-scale farmers and their families in the Global South. By choosing Fair Trade products and building support for Fair Trade on your campus, you become a part of a global movement working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
A Flawed Global Trading System
Most of the world depends on agriculture for its livelihood, largely through small family farms of a few hectares. In the mainstream market, small-scale farmers face major obstacles when trying to sell commodities like coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, fruit, cereals (rice and quinoa), spices and cotton:
- Low, fluctuating market prices for crops
- Intermediaries (middlemen) who buy from farmers at very low prices
- Unfair trade regulations and subsidies
- Little access to information, credit or proper technology
- Poor working and environmental conditions
Fair Trade: A Solution
Fair Trade empowers farmers to rise above these challenges by enabling them to access consumers who believe in global social responsibility, fair wages, adherence to international labour and environmental standards, and a market system that doesn’t marginalize small-scale producers. Fair Trade importers invest in community development, environmental protection initiatives and social services, so that not just producers but entire communities benefit.
By being a part of the Fair Trade movement, both producers and consumers make a contribution towards reaching two of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger (MDG #1) and the development of a global partnership for development (MDG #8).
More on Fair Trade and the Uniterra programme
What You Can Do
- Participate in the Reverse Trick-Or-Treating campaign on Halloween Day
- Organize a Fair Trade sale on campus just before Winter Holidays or Valentine’s Day. Contact us for information on obtaining Fair Trade Certified Shea butter products from Burkina Faso or Nelligan coffee from Latin America! Shea butter order form
- Work abroad as a Uniterra volunteer to support a producer cooperative
- Participate in the Shea Butter online discussion scheduled for September 29th.
- Campaign for Ethical Purchasing on your Campus and in your Town
More ideas on Taking Action
"GOOD FOR YOU, GOOD FOR THEM" CAMPAIGN
Participate in CECI’s “Good for You, Good for them” campaign, promoting and selling Fair Trade shea butter as produced in the traditional way by women’s cooperatives in Africa.
Shea Butter order form
REVERSE "TRICK-OR-TREATING"
October is when some of the biggest chocolate and candy sales occur, but for many people around the world, this is no treat. Cocoa and sugar are two of the world’s largest commodities, but their production is linked to major human rights abuses. Join WUSC and other organizations across Canada in promoting the use of Fair Trade chocolates this Halloween!
Each committee that has signed up for Fair Trade on the My Committee Activity Sign Up (before Sept. 25th) will receive a ‘Reverse Trick-or-Treat’ package in the mail. The package will contain free chocolate minis and Halloween information about Fair Trade, which Local Committees are asked to distribute within their communities by ‘reverse-trick-or-treating’ and talking about Fair Trade.
***Only committees who sign up on My Committee prior to September 25th will receive Reverse Trick or Treating material.
Want to participate?
Check out the Fair Trade resources and get in touch with your regional liaison officer! Sign your committee up for this campaign on your My Committee