Fair trade: Responsible food production

Michael is trying to decide what chocolate to buy for Lina as her birthday present. There are so many choices, it’s really hard to pick! There’s one that’s a bit more expensive than the others, but it doesn’t look that different. The only thing is, that it says ‘Fair trade’ on the packaging. Do you know what fair trade means Michael?

No? Well then, let’s visit Alfonse and Rosine, cocoa farmers in the Ivory Coast. Alfonse and Rosine own a small cocoa plantation. They grow cocoa and then sell it to big companies which produce chocolate. Because the price of cocoa varies, Alfonse and Rosine never know how much money they’ll get for the cocoa.

Often, it’s not much at all. This year, the weather was very bad, so they couldn’t grow a lot of cocoa. They’re worried about how much money they will be getting selling the cocoa beans, and if that’ll be enough for them to live on until they can harvest more. But one of their neighbours, who’s also a cocoa farmer, tells them about a new group that formed in their village. It’s a group that cocoa farmers can join to help each other out - a cooperative.

The cooperative is part of a bigger movement - the FAIR TRADE initiative. Farmers sell their cocoa beans through the cooperative to companies who agree to follow the fair trade rules. Fair trade rules set a minimum price that the farmers have to be paid for the cocoa, even if the value of it drops. This way, farmers that are part of the cooperative will always be paid enough to be able to live. These farmers also benefit in other ways from being part of the cooperative and the fair trade initiative.

On top of the minimum price, the cooperative will also receive extra money, or a PREMIUM. Farmers of the cooperative then collectively decide what they want to use this money for. They can either split the money, so that each farmer gets a bit of extra payment, or they can help improve their community - by building schools, hospitals, or a water supply network, for example. They can also spend the money on buying seeds for other plants that the farmers can plant while they wait for the cocoa to grow! Alfonse and Rosine decided to join the cooperative, and they’re very happy about that.

They made friends with other farmers and met farmers from the neighbouring villages. They exchanged knowledge and ideas, and now they know how to grow more cocoa even if the weather is bad. After a couple of months, when the cooperative was paid the premium, they decided together with the others, to buy some yams. By growing yams, they’ll have enough food for themselves and to sell to others. This is how fair trade helps farmers and their families live a better life.

It protects their rights when governments and big companies won’t. It provides new opportunities and fair pay for their hard work. But cocoa isn’t the only product in the shops that is produced according to fair trade rules - there are also fair trade tea, bananas, nuts and coffee. Fair trade chocolate is more expensive than other types, and Michael might only be able to buy one for Lina, instead of two. But by choosing fair trade chocolate, he shows he doesn’t just care for Lina, but also for the farmers who grow the cocoa.