When we look at the chocolate we eat, the tea we drink, or the soap we use, we often think of the name brand companies behind these products. But how often do we consider the hands behind the products that we use and consume? Today, people of all ages around the world are receiving minute pay to produce the goods that sell big. Companies gain huge revenue, and yet the people behind their price get little compensation. To begin to close this disparity, fair trade has become a growing concept. Fair trade is defined as a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect, that seeks great equity in international trade. This idea aims to empower marginalized people and improve the quality of their lives. Fair trade aims to pair fair wages to every worker. Increase labor and living conditions, and push developing countries toward stable production. However, current efforts to support fair trade around the world are inadequate. Developing countries have yet to see direct benefits of fair trade consumption. And as a developed society, we can help propel the progressive goals of fair trade. Currently, fair trade items only make up a small portion of consumer products in developed countries. And this is largely because we inherently choose to purchase cheaper goods. Stores around the US carry very few fair trade items, as low as 1% of their inventory. Most items we buy are conventional. We buy them cheaply, and laborers are paid cheaply. Over one quarter of a million children in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon, work can forced labor conditions on conventional cocoa, cotton and coffee farms. For every $3 latte bought in the US, the workers who pick those coffee beans are paid on average just $0.02. And Nestle, the world's largest food company, produces some of the most popular chocolate bars we know. And out of over 6,000 products, the only fair trade item Nestle has managed to put out is the KitKat bar. The rest of their cocoa comes from forced labor farms along the Ivory Coast. And these workers are part of the individuals that don't receive the benefits of fair trade. And this is because we, unintentionally, contribute to a system where companies can take advantage of workers. So as a nation promoting international relationships, our country can do a lot more to ensure fair trade is accessible, both within the country, as well as in developing areas around the world. The United States Farm Bill is a huge barrier in efforts to integrate fair trade products. It was originally designed as a security system for American farms during the Great Depression by distributing subsidies to struggling farmers. But today, this is a disproportionate distributor handing large sums of government money to large scale farmers to over produce staple crops. This is devastating to small farmers and small companies around the world because it decreases their abilities to export goods to large consumer societies, like the United States. We need to call on Congress to overturn this Act so that we can promote a market for fair trade goods and have the opportunity to put more sales of fair trade items into our economy. In fact, if African countries can increase their share of rural experts by just 1%, they would generate $70 billion. This is five times more than how much they receive in aid. So increasing the prevalence of fair trade goods means more revenue. And more revenue means more opportunities to build sustainable economies and lifestyles. This begins with overturning barriers for growth. But merely petitioning to Congress is not enough. We, as individuals, have the power to directly benefit workers around the world. Certain clothing, coffee, fruits, soaps, and chocolates are all staples that are produced fairly. These items are labeled with the certified fair trade label, so that we, as consumers, can be sure of where our items came from, and be sure we got them fairly. The prices we pay for fair trade items go directly to the producers, cutting out the middle man that grabs profit. So supporting this cause is an achievable goal for all of us. For ourselves and for producers in developing countries, fair trade is an incredibly vital issue. We can seek out fair trade goods in place of conventional products and push for our government and businesses to do the same. Given the option to choose between conventional and fair trade, the option is ultimately yours. Fair trade, however, allows for all of us to provide quality livelihoods for those who give us quality products. [MUSIC]
