The TDC supports the Tighanimine women’s cooperative which has produced fair trade argan oil in South Morocco since 2010. There is huge demand for this oil, not only as a miraculous ingredient for cosmetics, but also as a flavour for cooking. The TDC sent a reporter to Morocco to take a look behind the scenes of the production process and the lives of the workers, all of which are Berber women.
Few countries in the world match Ecuador’s natural beauty and cultural richness. With its coast, its sierra, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador is home to four ecosystems and a rich biodiversity. One quarter of the population is indigenous and still cherishes age-old traditions. The ‘indígenas’ growing self-awareness makes Ecuador a pioneer in developing community-based tourism.
The production of one single golden ring generates 20 tonnes of highly toxic waste and requires 50,000 litres of water. These numbers are impressive. Also, mining companies are seldom champions in respecting the local populations. The sector tries to redeem its negative image with standards and codes while NGOs work with cooperatives of artisanal miners towards producing fair trade gold
The first fair trade jewels were sold in 2011, but there are still many obstacles to overcome before miners will actually enjoy a better – golden? – future.
With a turnover of 500 billion dollars and 250 million employees, tourism is one of the main economic activities globally. However, revenue from the tourist business is often distributed unfairly and the environment is under pressure because of tourism. Does ‘sustainable tourism’ offer an alternative? And how can the triple P of sustainable development (people, planet, profit) be reconciled with the P of pleasure?
Unlike many of its neighbours, Senegal has a very large local fishery sector which plays an essential role in local food security. But tens of thousands of fishermen are too many, especially since they have to share the seas with foreign competitors and Russian pirates, which is why fish stocks have declined dramatically. Fortunately, the Senegalese government and the fisheries associations are acting.
In 2007, Hilary Benn, Britain’s International Development Secretary asked consumers to buy roses from Kenya because importing African flowers is better for the environment in view of the fact they are not grown in heated greenhouses. He added that it makes it easier for African people to make a decent living.
But are his arguments right? How sustainable are flowers from the South and how good are the working conditions? And what is fair trade’s role in this?
Over the last forty years, fair trade has proved to be a strong development model built on a cup of coffee from Latin America and a chocolate bar from Africa. It is a way for consumers to fight existing inequalities between the North and the South. But what about our own farmers who are also victims of the existing agricultural model? Isn’t a Greek farmer entitled to a fair price for his produce? These issues have occupied European fair trade movements for a while. Over the last few years more and more concrete initiatives in the area have emerged.
Few crops are as labour-intensive and time-demanding as vanilla. After saffron, vanilla is the most expensive spice in the world. Still, it brings farmers in Madagascar and elsewhere little more than dire poverty. The vanilla value chain is a complex one and competition from synthetic vanilla is deadly. Fortunately, thanks to fair trade, some vanilla producers are hopeful for the future.
The time that the production of organic and fair food was a business of farmers in the poor South and consumption was the business of the rich in the North is over. Some countries in the South with a growing middle class are opening up to sustainable consumption. We explore the emerging African organic and fair trade market.
Consumers relate fair trade to products of ‘small farmers’ who work in cooperatives. This image is not really correct because already in 1994 a first large tea plantation became fair trade certified. Twenty years later fair trade labels source bananas, tea, flowers and wine from large farm businesses, while the debate whether this is the way to go is still raging. Central to the debate is the living wage concept, a fair wage for all workers – including seasonal workers
The TDC supports the Tighanimine women’s cooperative which has produced fair trade argan oil in South Morocco since 2010. There is huge demand for this oil, not only as a miraculous ingredient for cosmetics, but also as a flavour for cooking. The TDC sent a reporter to Morocco to take a look behind the scenes of the production process and the lives of the workers, all of which are Berber women.
Few countries in the world match Ecuador’s natural beauty and cultural richness. With its coast, its sierra, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador is home to four ecosystems and a rich biodiversity. One quarter of the population is indigenous and still cherishes age-old traditions. The ‘indígenas’ growing self-awareness makes Ecuador a pioneer in developing community-based tourism.
The production of one single golden ring generates 20 tonnes of highly toxic waste and requires 50,000 litres of water. These numbers are impressive. Also, mining companies are seldom champions in respecting the local populations. The sector tries to redeem its negative image with standards and codes while NGOs work with cooperatives of artisanal miners towards producing fair trade gold
The first fair trade jewels were sold in 2011, but there are still many obstacles to overcome before miners will actually enjoy a better – golden? – future.
With a turnover of 500 billion dollars and 250 million employees, tourism is one of the main economic activities globally. However, revenue from the tourist business is often distributed unfairly and the environment is under pressure because of tourism. Does ‘sustainable tourism’ offer an alternative? And how can the triple P of sustainable development (people, planet, profit) be reconciled with the P of pleasure?
Unlike many of its neighbours, Senegal has a very large local fishery sector which plays an essential role in local food security. But tens of thousands of fishermen are too many, especially since they have to share the seas with foreign competitors and Russian pirates, which is why fish stocks have declined dramatically. Fortunately, the Senegalese government and the fisheries associations are acting.
In 2007, Hilary Benn, Britain’s International Development Secretary asked consumers to buy roses from Kenya because importing African flowers is better for the environment in view of the fact they are not grown in heated greenhouses. He added that it makes it easier for African people to make a decent living.
But are his arguments right? How sustainable are flowers from the South and how good are the working conditions? And what is fair trade’s role in this?
Over the last forty years, fair trade has proved to be a strong development model built on a cup of coffee from Latin America and a chocolate bar from Africa. It is a way for consumers to fight existing inequalities between the North and the South. But what about our own farmers who are also victims of the existing agricultural model? Isn’t a Greek farmer entitled to a fair price for his produce? These issues have occupied European fair trade movements for a while. Over the last few years more and more concrete initiatives in the area have emerged.
Few crops are as labour-intensive and time-demanding as vanilla. After saffron, vanilla is the most expensive spice in the world. Still, it brings farmers in Madagascar and elsewhere little more than dire poverty. The vanilla value chain is a complex one and competition from synthetic vanilla is deadly. Fortunately, thanks to fair trade, some vanilla producers are hopeful for the future.
The time that the production of organic and fair food was a business of farmers in the poor South and consumption was the business of the rich in the North is over. Some countries in the South with a growing middle class are opening up to sustainable consumption. We explore the emerging African organic and fair trade market.
Consumers relate fair trade to products of ‘small farmers’ who work in cooperatives. This image is not really correct because already in 1994 a first large tea plantation became fair trade certified. Twenty years later fair trade labels source bananas, tea, flowers and wine from large farm businesses, while the debate whether this is the way to go is still raging. Central to the debate is the living wage concept, a fair wage for all workers – including seasonal workers
