Comments on: Ending poverty in Africa is not about being fair! #fairtrade

By: How fair are we? « Ethnic Supplies

How fair are we? « Ethnic Supplies — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:21:06 +0000

[...] as fair as we could possibly be? If you enjoyed reading this you may find this post interesting too Ending poverty in Africa isn't about being fair Let them Help themselves out of poverty Unusual fashion accessories Have you joined LTHT Ethnic [...]

By: Ethnicsupplies

Ethnicsupplies — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:08:04 +0000

Sadly we all contribute to the supermarkets’ squeezing of the small man. There is an interesting development in the food production chain with the west heading south in what has become termed as the “land grab” in order to feed us.

I am watching all that with interest;-)
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By: Ethnicsupplies

Ethnicsupplies — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:08:00 +0000

I am watching all that with interest;-)
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By: Ethnicsupplies

Ethnicsupplies — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:04:30 +0000

You raise an interesting point Babs, most folk do not what is going on or what they can do to help that does not involve them spending money they can ill afford. One of my objectives is to wherever possible bring “stories”/news from the other side of the coin.
Twitter: ethnicsupplies

By: Ethnicsupplies

Ethnicsupplies — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:04:00 +0000

By: Ethnicsupplies

Ethnicsupplies — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:59:21 +0000

Many thanks Elaine.
The high premium does kill market access to a certain extent, however on handmade goods the premium is inevitable because it takes the artisans that much longer to produce one item.

I often have this discussion with folk in relation to the handmade wild silk scarves from Madagascar. The whole process including collecting the cocoons , weaving, spinning etc is by hand and the end of each week the woman has produced only 1 scarf that retails at £32. Some folk appreciate this but do not have the means to pay £32 for a scarf and that is OK, whilst something believe the scarf is very cheap given the work that goes into it!

The other point too especially in Africa, you are unlikely to find sweat shops and the wages tend to be high and this impacts retail prices. Getting the balance right is not easy, (here in the UK, most of us like producers to be treated well but we also like a bargain)

I like the idea of a skill-share forum, the RaiseTrade website is under development and we explore including a forum
Twitter: ethnicsupplies

By: Ethnicsupplies

Ethnicsupplies — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:59:00 +0000

I like the idea of a skill-share forum, the RaiseTrade website is under development and we explore including a forum
Twitter: ethnicsupplies

By: Morag

Morag — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:36:20 +0000

AND (while I’m on this rantette!), if supermarkets paid proper prices in the first place, there would be no need for Fairtrade. Oh but no, they are all about screwing the little guy, while we shoppers happily lap it up.

By: Morag

Morag — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:36:00 +0000

By: Babs Saul

Babs Saul — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:34:55 +0000

I’m also one who trusts that Fairtrade is exactly that – fair – and of course buy wherever possible. It is encouraging to see the likes of Morrisons providing fairtrade sugar as standard – I was pleased to see that the other day.

But indeed – more is needed. Perhaps with people like you, Ida, telling us what the specific needs are, more of us will realise that we can do more too.
Twitter: babssaul