Hanna and her father imbibe ...
An excerpt from an article contributed by MAU Maven on the street—and in the coffee houses—Hanna Johnson
We in the US drink 1/3 as much coffee as we do tap water. It’s the 2nd most valuable traded commodity in the world, 2nd only to petroleum. This translates to big bucks, so why are the coffee growers complaining?
They see almost none of the millions spent on $4 lattes each day—it generally goes to middle men like bean roasters, importers, and distributors. Most coffee growers don’t even make enough profit to cover the cost of production, which creates for them a perpetual cycle of poverty and debt. Most cannot even afford basic medical care, education for their children, or human needs which we in the US take for granted. On top of that, the working conditions for most coffee farmers are so bad that they have been described as “sweatshops in the fields” (globalexchange.org).
So what can fair-trade do to right this cycle of oppression and exploitation? To be Fair Trade Certified, an importer must pay the farmer $1.26 per pound, which is much higher than the $.50-$.70 that farmers are typically paid per pound. This money provides them with much deserved compensation for their work, the ability to educate their children (thereby taking steps to end the cycle of poverty), and to purchase modern technology in order to be more efficient and competitive. Small farmers are also generally better environmental stewards than their large corporate counter-parts, so by supporting them, we make a statement as to how we demand our mama Earth be treated …
Click here for Hanna’s entire article.
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