Shared Interest - Fair Trade Blog

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Producer tour blog - Anna-Michael Mlay

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Our producer tour blog has been recording the voices of producers as they travel across the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight.

Anna-Michael Mlay, a small-holder coffee farmer representative from the KDCU Co-operative in Tanzania, is one of four Fairtrade producers on the tour.

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The invisible hands behind our food

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By Barbara Crowther, Director of Communications and Policy, Fairtrade Foundation

Ravinder Bhogal, of Channel 4’s Food: What Goes in Your Basket? was one of the guest speakers at Monday night’s Fairtrade Fortnight reception. Having travelled to meet banana growers in St Lucia and olive oil producers in Palestine, she told us her overriding memory was of the love and care and sheer  ‘bloody hard work’ that the farmers put in to bring tasty, quality food to our tables every day. 

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2011 Fairtrade Fortnight Roundup

I am sure you are all enjoying Fairtrade Fortnight 2011, which officially starts today. As you may well know, this year the Fairtrade Foundation has launched the ‘Show Off Your Label’ campaign.  This involves asking the nation to show off about buying Fairtrade which offers 7.5 million people in the developing world a more secure future.

This year we’re encouraging primary schools to enter our Design a Fairtrade T-shirt competition in association with Real Radio (100-102FM) and Newcastle City Council. You can find out more by clicking here.

Here’s a roundup of what some of our customers are doing this Fairtrade Fortnight.

Fairtrade Foundation – www.fairtrade.org.uk

Cotton is one of the central themes of this Fairtrade Fortnight. Although Fairtrade cotton has been available for some time, still less than 1% of cotton fashion on the high street carries the Fairtrade Mark. Fairtrade cotton guarantees a Fairtrade minimum price as well as a Fairtrade premium for investment in social development projects such as water, education and healthcare. You can read more about how Fairtrade has benefitted producers here.

Unfair trade rules also contribute to keeping cotton farmers trapped in poverty. More than 10 million West African people who rely on cotton for their livelihoods are not able to compete on a level playing field. Cotton farmers in the EU, the United States and China are highly subsidised leading to over production. When their huge volumes of cotton are dumped on world markets, prices are driven down and small scale farmers cannot compete. This is the subject of the The Great Cotton Stitch Up.

The Fairtrade Foundation has launched an initiative with online retailer ASOS who teamed up with leading designers to produce a range of Fairtrade cotton scarves, click here to find out more.

The Fairtrade Foundation has also launched a Show Off Your Label game on Facebook. Each day there is a different challenge asking people to upload a photo or video of themselves showing off their favourite Fairtrade product in unusual ways. Challenges will include showing off with your favourite celebrity, ‘Fairtrading’ your mum and the wackiest banana smile.

Each challenge is supported by a Fairtrade organisation who will donate a prize such as blending and roasting your own coffee, a trip to visit a producer, or a cookery lesson with a top chef.

Zaytoun – www.zaytoun.org

Zaytoun CIC has announced its Fairtrade Fortnight producer tour. Two of the guest producers are women – and they’re excited to talk about their perspective on life as Palestinian farmers.

Bassema Basalat is an olive and za’atar producer, and a founder of her local women’s association. She has lost family land to nearby Israeli settlements, affecting her ability to bring in family income. Um Shehadeh (Widad Farid) is a producer of couscous and sundried tomatoes amongst other products, and the only female board member of the Palestine Fair Trade Association.

Both women will tell UK audiences more about the evolving role of women in occupied Palestine as producers, family providers and the inheritants of their grandmothers’ culinary traditions. Food production is the backbone of the Palestinian economy and two-thirds of the work is done by women. “This traditional food tells our story – who we are, what we do” says Bassema.

Zaytoun events including stalls, store samplings and presentations are happening around the country for Fairtrade Fortnight. Further images, information and event details are available on the Zaytoun website resources webpage http://www.zaytoun.org/get-involved/resources/. Fullwell Mill – www.fullwellmill.co.uk

John Kabyetsiza from Fruits of the Nile Uganda is visiting the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight and is speaking at events organised by campaigners in Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk.  Fruits of the Nile produce Tropical Wholefoods delicious sun dried pineapples and bananas.  For more information visit: http://www.fmfoods.co.uk/partners/fon.htm

Tropical Wholefoods have sponsored a Fairtrade Facebook Challenge. The challenge opens on March 4th.  www.facebook/FairtradeFoundation. All you have to do is create a fruity head-dress for yourself with a hat, turban or cap. The lovely singer Rumer is offering 2 free tickets to her concert at the Royal Festival Hall on March 30th as first prize – and you also get to win a Tropical Wholefoods basket of dried fruits and goodies. Be inspired by this great pic of Kate TW founder in hatted fruity finery.

It’s still not too late to ask for a Raisin Awareness sample box from Fullwell Mill.  E-mail: [email protected]. To help with costs, Fulwell Mill ask for a £5 cheque for this generous box of samples, videos and literature.  The box will include: Afghan Raisins, Burkina Mango, Apricot Kernels, Ugandan banana and snack bars.

Traidcraft – www.traidcraft.co.uk

Traidcraft are asking you to show off your Traidcraft honey label and tell how fair trade has helped thousands of beekeepers in Africa and Latin America.

Once again Traidcraft is encouraging supporters to hold a Big Brew, but this year they’re adding a touch of sweetness as they tell the story of how Traidcraft is helping beekeepers in the developing world to become fair trade certified. Reach out to the community in your area with a Big Brew – a nationwide initiative helping churches, schools and workplaces to host a Fairtrade event in Fairtrade Fortnight.

Traidcraft are working with beekeepers in Chile, Guatemala, Tanzania and Kenya to build better futures for themselves and their communities. By holding a Big Brew you will be helping to bring about positive change in the lives of thousands of producers in the developing world – and helping millions of bees!

Equal Exchange UK – www.equalexchange.co.uk

Equal Exchange is proud to be showing off their label this Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 which often says ‘made at origin’. Making the product at origin adds value through jobs and expertise as well as keeping profit in the hands of the producer.

During Fairtrade Fortnight Jenipher Wetaka from Gumutindo Coffee Cooperative is helping Equal Exchange celebrate International Women’s Day with the launch of an exciting coffee 100% grown by women farmers.

Equal Exchange’s seventeen wholesale customers distribute over 75 Equal Exchange Fairtrade products into many, many small natural food or deli shops in towns throughout the UK. Look out for these products near you and try them if you haven’t already. Tweet @EqualExchangeUK, share experience on their Facebook or download resources from their website www.equalexchange.co.uk

Liberation Foods – www.chooseliberation.com

Liberation Foods is running two weeks of competitions on their Harry’s Nuts! Facebook page www.facebook.com/harrysnuts – asking people to come up with funny captions for their daily photos. The winners get – you guessed it – nuts!

Liberation Foods are also participating in an event in the Atrium at Sainsbury’s, sampling their delicious nuts to the staff there. Dyborn Chibonga, CEO of the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi, will be talking about Fairtrade nuts at events, including one at The People’s Supermarket, a Nuts for Fairtrade day in Cardiff and in press interviews. We will be providing leaflets, photos, a powerpoint of beautiful photos and other material to various events in different parts of the UK.

TV’s Aggie MacKenzie will be talking to a group in Hackney about visiting Fairtrade peanut farmers in Malawi.

Summary

We hope that many of you take part in the above Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 activities to Show Off Your Label. Let us know what you are doing to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight in the comments section below or share your experiences on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/sharedinterest.

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My Travels with Barry….

Now while John Steinbeck got to travel America with his loyal pooch, I have been traversing Newcastle’s primary schools with Real Radio and Barry the Basset Hound…Yes, it is as fun as it sounds!

As part of our Fairtrade Fortnight activity, we are running a schools competition in collaboration with Real Radio and Newcastle City Council. We have asked classes to design a Fairtrade T shirt depicting what Fairtrade means to them.

So far we have visited three schools in Benwell, Heaton and Byker and I have to say the kids have been absolutely fantastic.

I have been overwhelmed by how much the kids have understood about the fair trade movement and by how quickly they have been able to turn their understanding into brilliant t shirt designs.

All of the schools have been really different in their approach and the results have all been amazing, although, I have to say I wasn’t too surprised to see chocolate and ice cream up there as favourite Fairtrade products!

To view all of the t shirts designed so far, check out Real Radio’s website where new images will be uploaded daily until the end of Fairtrade Fortnight.

I can’t wait to visit the remaining schools, we have two more to visit in Newcastle, and next week we will head further afield to visit schools in the North East.

The Shared Interest team are always available for school visits, if you’re interested in finding out more give us a call on 0191 233 9100.

For instant updates on the schools visits and all other Shared Interest activity don’t forget to follow us on twitter @sharedinterest and @stacey_si.

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"Fair Trade supports some of the most bio-diverse farming systems in the world. When you visit a Fair Trade coffee grower's fields, with the forest canopy overhead and the sound of migratory songbirds in the air, it feels like you're standing in the rainforest."

Professor Miguel Altieri, Leading expert and author on agroecology

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Moving On Up…

We certainly are at Shared Interest.  This weekend I was delighted to join Patricia at the Co-operatives UK AGM held in Plymouth.  As well as the usual business conducted at an AGM we were there for a very special reason too.  Shared Interest received a Co-operative Award!  Awarded as a celebration of the diversity, innovation and excellent work of co-operatives, Shared interest was recognised as one of six award winners. 

Nominations for the awards are made to Co-operatives UK by those who know the work of the co-operatives, for example members or clients.  A panel then judges each nomination to create a shortlist and then the winners.  Collecting the award to the sound of ‘Moving on Up’ seemed fitting as Shared Interest continues to grow to support even more fair trade customers.  As a co-operative it is fantastic to receive this recognition from the Co-operatives community and to share the accolade with our members.

Also at the AGM was the announcement of plans for the International Year of Co-operatives in 2012.  This provides an exciting opportunity for co-operatives like Shared Interest to raise awareness of the work we do and the alternative co-operatives offer to other business models.  The weekend was a medley of inspiring talks, presentations and exhibiting with one of the highlights, other than the awards of course, coming at the end.  While the adults had been involved with the Co-operatives UK Congress, school children were also discussing their hopes and ambitions for Co-operative schools.  Over the weekend they had been devising their own co-operatives, centred around bananas and came up with some spectacular ideas.  My favourite was ‘Shine-o-rama’; you pay 20p for a banana and get to enjoy it while your shoes are polished with the skin.  In other words you polish off the banana while they put polish on your shoes.

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Video on how you can help people trade their way out of poverty.

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robertjerome:

The Fairtrade Song written for the Co-op Society in Essex, filmed by BRIT School Media Dept.