Why Fair Trade?
Fair Trade is a partnership between consumers and producers.
Many of the products that we buy and use every day are grown or produced by people who are not paid a fair price for their work and produce. Workers and small-holder farmers are often working in poor and dangerous conditions and denied access to markets on a fair basis. Fair Trade is about ensuring workers and small-holder farmers are paid a fair price, and campaigning for these producers to have the opportunity to participate in global markets without exploitation.
Over the years, Fair Trade has had many successes in building a partnership between consumers and producers. Many of the staples that we find in our homes come from producers who were previously not being paid fair prices for their work or products. This perpetuated a cycle of poverty and denied many families a dignified life.
Producers we have worked with over the years have told us how much of an impact Fair Trade has had on their lives.
Howard Msukwa, farmer from Malawi
“Thanks to Fair Trade, our community of farmers can now benefit from machinery that facilitates our everyday work in the field. Moreover, Fair Trade has enabled us to negotiate a better price for our commodities, which is something that would be unthinkable only a few years ago.”
Jennipher Wettaka, coffee farmer from Uganda
“As a woman, being involved with Fairtrade is very helpful. They transport the coffee by lorry so we don’t have to carry it on our backs. We understand the coffee business now and Fairtrade has taught us how to improve the quality of our coffee. It also helps women sell their coffee, we have a good market now. Fairtrade is also giving women freedom of speech.”
The Scottish Fair Trade Forum supports the World Fair Trade Organisation, Fairtrade Mark certification and other Fair Trade initiatives that we know adhere to the approaches to trade set out in the International Fair Trade Charter.
