So, I'm having a conversation about the value of #FairTrade with a fellow who is advocating for the "nice capitalists" to swoop in and do a better job. He shared the linked research from London on the fair trade coffee's impact on African growers. Anyone know anything about the study, the agency, etc?
(Side note that I didn't know so many people hated Fair Trade. Curious as to why.)
@BeechMtn Fair Trade (properly administered, and not faked via bribes to regulators, which is a huge problem) gets a few pennies back to farmers. The middlepersons (professionals at hoovering up pennies) don't like that. Anything they don't like they will convince millions of people who should know better not to like. The situation in Ethiopia is unique, however, in that there are 4 million plots and little or
no money to support a certification scheme. See also http://www.wipo.int/ipadvantage/en/details.jsp?id=2621
@risabee Good info - much appreciated! I'm not very knowledgeable on the topic of #FairTrade. Sad to think that a noble concept gets abused in our cooperatively-minded world.
As it happens, a local co-op here posted a first-person story about their support of free trade bananas through OKE USA.
More here - http://www.weaverstreetmarket.coop/a-banana-story/