Edible Rhody Kids: Fair Trade Means Fair Business for Farmers

Have you ever thought about where that banana you had for breakfast comes from? What about the chocolate and sugar used to make that delicious cupcake? The people who grow these crops around the world should be paid fairly for their work and be treated well. Fair Trade makes sure they are.

Much of the food we eat every day is grown near the equator, at the warmest parts of the earth. This includes sugar, mangoes, coffee, chocolate, bananas and much more.

The people who plant and raise these crops are often paid very little in return—not enough to feed their children or to be able to send them to school or to a doctor. Sometimes kids are forced to work in the fields with dangerous chemicals that can make them sick.

Fair Trade is an international effort to connect farmers in developing countries with markets in the U.S. and Europe, places where they can sell their products at a fair price. It’s an important tool to help improve the living conditions of farming families.

With Fair Trade...

• farmers can set aside some resources for community projects such as schools.

• farming families are more likely to be able to stay on their land.

• native birds and insects don’t have to be exposed to harmful pesticides.

• generations of children can enjoy the land they’ve inherited.

Want to Find Out More?

>> This site tells you a lot about what Fair Trade is and what they do: FairTradeUSA.org
>> And this one shows you how to make your own town a Fair Trade town and how to promote Fair Trade awareness in your area: FairTradeTowns.org

Edible Rhody Kids is created in partnership with KidoInfo.com, the family guide for Rhode Island and beyond.