Good points of Fairtrade

I have no education but I would like my children to have it. Fairtrade prices give me the means to send my children to school. – Laljibhai Narranbhai, farmer, India.

Lives of millions of farmers are dependant on sales of their crops. This can turn into a very risky business in cases when market prices fall dramatically. For many farmers this can be a catastrophy. If their profits do not cover their farms’ expenses, they are forced to struggle in poverty – they are unable to buy food. Sending children to school under such conditions is then a real luxury. Finally they can lose their lands, which means their means of making living. Fairtrade guarantees fair and stable prices, which cover life expanses of farmers and which enable them to invest into a better future of theirs and their children.

Coffee

Approximately 90 000 coffee growers of 124 villages in Tanzania organized themselves into the cooperative KCU. Although only a part of their production goes to Fairtrade markets, it makes a tremendous difference to their lives. Each village has managed to save 2 000 dollars, which they invested into development within the community. They have used the profits to buy blackboards and other school equipment. They have also been able to repair their old schools or construct new ones. A little pathology laboratory has been constructed as well as a coffee beans storage house has been repaired.

Tea

In the region of Darjeeling tea growers of the cooperative Makaibari Tea Estate have used the money on electrification of 7 villages and 6 women could be consequently trained in birth assistance and health care. There have been interest-free loans provided for education and health project. Low-interest loans enabled workers to construct toilets, repair their houses and start up small cooperatives as chicken, goat and other domestic animals farms so that they could sell eggs, meat and milk. In a nearby town Kurseong organic milk is worth of good money.