fair trade
Watch the Equal Exchange video, Agent of Change, here.
Used with permission from the Interfaith Program at Equal Exchange:
50 United Dr.
West Bridgewater, MA 02379
interfaith@equalexchange.coop
774-776-7366
http://www.equalexchange.coop
(QuickTime 25.9MB | 11:53)
Coffee: A Bitter Cup?
Coffee is big business - it’s one of the most heavily traded commodities in the world. But for the majority of small coffee farmers, the benefits are small. The chain of events that leads from the coffee farm to your cup is long, often leaving the farmer with very little to live on.
Most small coffee farmers live in isolated communities in some of the poorest countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Cut off from markets, they usually sell their coffee through middlemen, known to Central American farmers as “coyotes.” With world prices in constant flux and coyotes offering the lowest price possible, farmers never know how much they’ll get for their crops.
Some 20 million people living near the equator depend on coffee for their livelihood. In their struggle just to make a simple living, the producers of a rich crop are often trapped in poverty. In recent years, a crisis in the world coffee market has meant that many farmers typically receive less than the cost of production for their beans.
But there is an alternative: FAIR TRADE. Fair trade shares the bounty of the coffee trade with those who grow the crop, helping them build a better future for themselves and their communities.
(article and illustrations are from Equal Exchange)
United Methodist Committee on Relief Coffee Project
"Fair trade presents the faith community with a chance to make a real contribution towards the creation of a new life-centered economic model -- one based on the biblical principles of justice, cooperation and sustainability."
- Rich Aronson, Peace with Justice Project
The UMCOR Coffee Project is an innovative way to reach out to small-scale farmers in the developing world while enjoying fellowship and an excellent cup of coffee. As Christians we can address a consumer dilemma by buying coffee that is fairly traded. United Methodist congregations that participate are helping small scale farmers in Latin America, Africa and Asia earn a fairer share of income, obtain access to credit and technical support, and gain a trading partner they can trust, a fair trade organization called Equal Exchange.
In your congregation, a women’s group, youth group, mission or peace and justice committee might sponsor the UMCOR Coffee Project. Then, as your congregation enjoys this high-quality coffee, take time to learn more about its impact on the people who grow it. Read about coffee farmers and the ways in which the church is helping people like them. Discuss issues of justice in the global marketplace and take action in the spirit of love. United Methodist Churches have sustained UMCOR’s ministries of relief and development for more than 60 years. With such commitment, we can also make a difference in this new way.
The Coffee Project information is from the Equal Exchange site for UMCOR, as well as from the GBGM UMCOR site: UMCOR Coffee Project: Good Coffee for a Good Cause.
