T.F.F
The Fruit Factory
~ Smoothie company
"Full of flavour;
full of fairness!"
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The fairtrade premium also helps the community environmentally. Farmers who are paid poorly are unlikely to care for their lands well since they are forced into cheap agricultural practise, using harmful chemicals that will often compromise the land, surrounding ecosystems and quality of our product. Not only does fairtrade give them the funds to set this right but educates them on these issues and in order for them to become a fairtrade farm they must adhere to the rigorous environmental standards as follows:
Fair Trade also grants sustainability to the economy of the local economy. Fair Trade gives farmers control of their own future allowing them to build their own businesses, rather thanrelying on the work and pay the manager or brand owner provides. This menas that the profits stay within their own communities whilst also going back into the farmers own buisness. Not only does the fairtrade organisation give them enough money to do this but also educates them supplying them with the knowledge they will need, teaching and market skills, for their buisnesses.
Fairtrade Premium
It isn't just the farmers who benefit from a better trade but fairtrade enhances the community too! Fairtrade provides an additional pot of money called Fairtrade Premium. This money can be used by the community as they wish. The producers may decide democratically what is most important to them, using the money for social, ecoomic and environmental improvement projects. Socially, these may include improved infrastructure, new buildings like schools since children will often have to walk miles to recieve an education, healthcare or housing, this gives the community more control over their lives rather than being dependant on the terrible work they are supplied with.
The focus areas are:
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Energy and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced while soil and water quality are improved. It also targets pest mangement, biodiversity protection, and prohibition of genetically modified organisms and harmful chemicals and waste management.
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It promotes training for farmers, giving advice on switching to environmentally friendly practices, such as developing nutrient-rich soils that support healthy plants and encouraging wildlife to help control pests and diseases.
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For some farmers fairtrade introduces less toxic pesticides, which, as well as being better for the environment, has a positive impact on producers’ health
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And, although it isn't required, organic products are promoted and farmers who produce such products are rewarded with a higher fairtrade minimum price.
Fairtrade is making a huge difference to the community!
Elen Jones the national coordinator of fiartrade Wales visited Mbane, eastern Uganda and recorded the impacts she saw...
"I saw classrooms, solar panels, cow sharing schemes, water provision and water storage, and the planting of trees."
Fairtrade Premium changes lives:
Rahel, a worker on Kibena Tea Estate in Tanzania, explains how the Premium has helped:
‘Through Fairtrade Premium my kids are going to school… money from Premium were spent on the construction of Lihogosa Primary School, which most of the workers, they love that school very much. The school has around 170 pupils. Before the school was built, some of them had to walk 10 kilometres to another school.’