Fair Trade: Going Beyond the Symbol

www.waterfordoneworldcentre.comjennifer@waterfordoneworldcentre.com

051 873064

Aims

• To explore the meaning behind the Fair Trade symbols

• To use Fair Trade as a ‘foot hold’ issue from which to explore other development topics

• To provide practical examples of development education methodologies that can be used in your classrooms

• To provide practical examples of how development education links to your curriculum

Today’s Plan…

• Background: What is Fair Trade?• Our Campaign: Looking Behind the Symbol• Fair Trade, Development Education and Your

Teaching Practice

Activity: Interdependence

"Before you finish eating your breakfast this morning you've depended on half the world. We aren't going to have peace on earth until we recognize this basic fact.“ – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tea Asia all over Yes, readily available

Coffee Africa, South America Yes, readily available

Orange Juice Tropical (FT Brazil) Yes, Tesco & Lidl, small shops

Sugar Temperate (Brazil, EU) Yes, readily available

Porridge/Grains Ireland

Eggs Ireland

Milk Ireland

Rasher/Sausage Ireland

Banana India, Uganda, China Yes, readily available

Chocolate Across Africa and South America

Yes, readily available

Tomato Probably Spain No

Strawberries Probably Spain No

Baked Beans (Navy) China No

Almonds California, Spain, Mediterranean

Tough but there are some

What is Fair Trade or is it Fairtrade?

Fairtrade, and other labels, refer to a specific set of requirements for products and thus is a subset of Fair Trade

Fair Trade refers to the overall global trading system and calls for trade rules and regulations that do not favour large corporations or governments

A trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency, and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, disadvantaged producers and workers—especially in the South.(FINE, 1998)

Activity: Building the Definition.

What role does Free Trade play?Free Trade Fair Trade

Main Goal To increase a nations economic growth

To empower people to better their own lives

Focus On Trade policies between countries

Commerce between individuals and small businesses

Benefits MNC’s, governments Farmers, artisans, etc in developing countries

Critics Say Marginalises small producers and environment

Interferes with free trade, inefficient, small scale

Compensation Determined By

Market and government policies

Living wage and community improvement costs

Key Advocate Organisations

WTO, World Bank, IMF

Fairtrade International, World Fair Trade Organisation, Fairtrade Ireland

Adapted from Fair Trade Resources Organisation

Arguments Against Fair Trade

Fair Trade artificially sets minimum wages and prices

Recent study found that Fair Trade didn’t have an appreciable positive impact on local economy or wages

Fairtrade (the brand) crowds out other ethically sources products

Fair Trade perpetuates charity model of aid vs. justice model

‘The Masking Problem’

What a Fair Trade certification generally means…

Activity: Prioritise the Principles

What’s the difference and does it matter?

Activity: Moving Debate: Let’s Explore Fair Trade…

Statement 1: Reducing food miles is more important than buying Fair Trade

Statement 2: Trade rules and regulations should be left to the market to figure out.

Statement 3: Fair Trade is an instrument of justice.

Statement 4: In Ireland today, people are too worried about their own money to care about producers in far away countries.

Statement 5: Dubble only?

Fair Trade and the Waterford One World Centre

2012 Kimmage Development Studies Centre Study: Majority of Irish people support Fair Trade/Fairtrade without understanding the reasons why

80% of people surveyed in Waterford said they would like to know more about Fair Trade

Waterford One World Centre uses this support for FT to approach a wider range of development issues such as environmental sustainability, gender equity, child labour, forced labour, poverty, fair wages, solidarity, etc.

Our goal is for people to understand why they support Fair Trade and when they buy a Fair Trade product to understand that they are taking an action that impacts global justice rather than that they are giving charity

We believe that teaching Fair Trade across the curriculum supports both students’ learning in the subject area and deepens the connection to global justice

Links to Curricula

Fair TradeInterdisciplinary

Art, Craft, Design: Have students

design a Fair Trade poster

CSPE/TY: Promote active citizenship

through a campaign during

Fairtrade Fortnight

Business: Look at FT Cooperatives as a Model for Small

Business

Geography: Explore the

interdependent nature of trade

English: Write a persuasive letter to a politician about importance of Fair

Trade

Maths: Use graphs to represent Fair Trade sales over

time

Religion: Explore Fair Trade as a

global justice issue

Science: Examine sustainable

farming methods used by FT coops

Action IdeasAcross the Curriculum

PE: Promote the Use of Fair Trade Footballs

Home Economics: Hold a Fair Trade Fashion Show or Fair

Trade Bake Sale

Business Studies: Open a Fair Trade Tuck Shop or

Campaign to Make Existing Shop Fair Trade

Please answer the following questions on the back of KWL:

1. Do you think you will use any of the activities with your classes? Which one? Why?

2. Do you think you will use the Fair Trade learning with your students? How about with people that are not your students?

3. What is one thing that could be added to this workshop to make it better?