Questioning the Plantation Question

Reader Helen Bode pointed out to me Cafédirect's response to Parminder Bahra's recent article on the abuses found on tea estates. (Cafédirect are pioneers in ethical business and have been working directly with farmers in disadvantaged countries to build  better future through Fairtrade)

[T]here was an interesting piece in today’s Times Online about Fairtrade Tea factories. It’s certainly healthy to ask questions, but I think the story is incomplete at best. Fairtrade as a model has been as effective in creating sustainable development as any I’ve seen, and at  we can point out 1.4 million stories of how Fairtrade has helped the lives of those in need. Some farmers may not see individual benefits in terms of more money in their pockets, but the premiums paid by Cafédirect (which, by the way, are 20% higher than other Fairtrade buyers) build health clinics and drill wells for fresh water that support entire communities.

Thanks for the note Helen. I just wanted to point out that the article doesn't question whether or not the Fair Trade system is benefiting millions of farmers around the world -- because it has -- but rather Bahra has ignited the dialogue of the plantations' role in the Fair Trade system. The Plantation Question is about whether or not plantations play a transformative role in the Fair Trade system. Once again, as it has been pointed out by Fair Trade pioneers, Equal Exchange --

We are not surprised to hear of these shortcomings and abuses occurring on Fair Trade plantations. In fact, the findings presented in this article only serve to reaffirm our belief that plantations do not belong in the Fair Trade system in the first place. Equal Exchange doesn’t debate whether “good” plantations exist (for example, those where workers are treated “well”), nor whether estate workers deserve to enjoy better working conditions. They do.

We believe that “Fair Trade” needs to mean “Small Farmer,” and that the standards which apply to Fair Trade coffee can and should be the sole standard in tea as well as coffee.

There is no questioning that Fair Trade offers a better alternative to the current conventional trading system that we are familiar with today that puts profit over people, it is questioned whether or not plantations who have been abusive in the past, and are still reported to be, should play a role in the Fair Trade system. If certain plantations are to continue carrying the Fair Trade label, what needs to be done to improve the system in order to make sure that plantations are keeping up with the strict standards?

The Fair Trade movement is evolving everyday in order to be a better system to prove that it is no longer business as usual where human rights are being neglected and the environment is being degraded when producing a product, so there is deep concern in me, and surely many in the Fair Trade movement that there continues to be trust in the system. I know the Fair Trade system works, and has worked for many in the world, and as the movement expands there are growing pains where issues need to be ironed out and focus needs to remain on benefiting the disadvantaged producer. So my question still stands: what should be the next steps?

As Cafédirect points out in their blog post about the positive impact that Fair Trade has been capable of, the best way is to hear it directly from the farmer. A Kenyan tea farmer shares a poem about how Fairtrade has changed his and his community's life for the better:

The Fairtrade Tree Poem

Thrive, thrive and blossom,
With shooting buds of hope,
Branches with shade of livelihood,
The trunk bears the strength of the disadvantaged,
Deeply rooted to live.

In you oh fair-trade tree,
Birds will build nests,
Nests to shelter the poor.
A shelter to lay eggs.
Eggs of a better able society.

Your bark oh fair-trade tree,
Winds the ligaments of the community.
It keeps them close and strong.

Fair will we be to you,
Promise to tender you our hope.
Water you with natural water adherence
Mulch you with compliance,
Weed all the vices and non standards,

Oh our lovely fair-trade tree.
The beauty of our environs
Your green colour, oh.
Shows your nature of fairness.

Composed by Murerwa G Thirinja
Chairman, Fairtrade Supervisory Committee Michimikuru

We must continue to hear stories like this, of progress and hope, and make sure that the Fair Trade system continues to inspire poetry and growth in farmers and communities.

[photo: www.cafedirection.co.uk]