Fair Trade certification guarantees that farmers and workers received a fair price for their products.
The Global Coffee Crisis
Coffee is the largest US import after oil. The economies of many of the world’s poorest countries are heavily dependent on coffee exports, and 25 million families rely on coffee farming for their livelihood.
But coffee farmers are facing a crisis. A glut of coffee on the world market has led to a cataclysmic drop in prices they have fallen to 30-year lows; not even enough to cover the costs of production. Unable to meet basic needs of food, housing, health and education, families are going hungry, children are being pulled out of school to work, farmers are losing their land and migrating to the cities in desperate search of employment.
Peasant coffee farmers are living in extreme poverty,
but giant coffee companies are making huge profits. What can we do?
Consumers are increasingly concerned with the lives of the people who produce the goods we buy. By pressuring companies not to exploit workers, and by supporting companies that employ fair labor practices, we have the power to change how corporations behave.
The Fair Trade Movement
- Fair Trade certified products guarantee that producers were paid a living wage ($1.26/lb for regular coffee and $1.41/lb. for organic coffee) - well above world market prices.
- Fair Trade producers belong to democratic farmer-owned organizations. The Fair Trade system cuts out the middleman and pays these farmer associations directly.
- Fair Trade importers establish stable, long-term relationships with farmer groups, and they provide much-needed financing and credit.
- Most Fair Trade coffee (about 80%) is certified organic and shade-grown, produced without the use of harmful agrochemicals. This makes it environmentally and socially sustainable.
- Fair Trade sales in the US have nearly doubled over the past year. Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Proctor & Gamble have all bowed to consumer demand and agreed to offer a small percentage of their coffee as Fair Trade. This is a good start – we are making a difference!
What can I do to help make trade work for the poor?
- Pressure MIT dining establishments and other coffee shops to offer Fair Trade certified coffee. Cut out and submit the suggestion card below.
- Buy Fair Trade certified coffee – look for the Fair Trade label. With every cup of coffee we buy, we can help lift farmers out of poverty.
- Educate yourself about the coffee crisis and ways to make trade fair. Check out the websites listed below.
- Get involved! Join Students for Labor Justice at MIT and help us take action on issues of globalization, trade, worker rights and economic justice.
Where can I buy Fair Trade coffee at MIT?
- Alpine Bagels (in the Student Center) sells 100% Fair Trade coffee from Larry’s Beans. Go Alpine!
- Bosworth’s (lobby of building 7) offers one Fair Trade blend of Peet’s coffee. Make sure to fill up with the Fair Trade blend if you get coffee there.
- Building 4 Café offers Fair Trade Green Mountain coffee.
- Dome Café offers it.
- La Verde's just started offering two Fair Trade blends in March, one week after we talked to management. Let's support their quick response to student demand!
Students for Labor Justice believes Fair Trade certified coffee should be available at ALL campus dining establishments.