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Is Fairtrade an effective strategy for poverty reduction?
The fairtrade logo is one of the most recognisable ethical brands, when you see it you know that whoever produced the raw material was paid a fair and sustainable price. But what does fairtrade actually mean and what are the impacts of fairtrade in the local producer communities or even the wider communities?
Panelists
Barbara Crowther
Barbara Crowther, Fairtrade Foundation
Barbara Crowther is Head of Communications for the Fairtrade Foundation, a non-profit organization that works with businesses, community groups and individuals to improve the trading position of producer organizations in the global South, and promote sustainable livelihoods, using product certification — the FAIRTRADE Mark — as a tool for development.
Visit the Fairtrade Foundation
Marc Sidwell
Marc Sidwell, Adam Smith Institute
Published in February this year, Marc’s paper, “Unfair Trade”, argues that for all its good intentions, Fairtrade is not fair. Marc has defended his thesis in national and international media, at a global conference in Montreux (WEDF 2008) and to EU policymakers in Brussels.
Read Marc’s paper, Unfair Trade
Meredith Alexander, Action Aid
Meredith is Head of Trade and Corporates at Action Aid. Since working at People & Planet several years ago, Meredith has worked in Bangladesh for two years and at Save the Children. She is looking forward to returning to Shared Planet.
Visit Action Aid
The Age of Plenty or the Age of Famine?
According to a FAO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, report published in September 2008, global food prices have shot up 52 per cent since the beginning of the year. This has increased the number of people in the world suffering from acute hunger to more than 1 billion. To have any chance of meeting MDG targets on hunger the root causes of the problem need to be addressed, but what exactly are the causes of the global food crisis?
Panelists
Benedict Southworth
Benedict Southworth, World Development Movement
Benedict has been the Director of the World Development Movement since September 2005. He has spent the last fifteen years as a campaigner for the environment and social justice. Prior to his post at the World Development Movement, he was the Head of International Campaigns at Amnesty International.
Visit WDM
Sue Brandford
Sue Brandford, GRAIN
Sue is a journalist, who has been covering environmental and social issues, particularly in Latin America, for 25 years. She is interested in the massive expansion of industrial farming that is evicting millions of peasant families across the world and increasing food insecurity.
Visit GRAIN
Emma Hockridge
Emma Hockridge, Soil Association
Emma works in the policy and campaigns department of the Soil Association, having previously worked at Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming. She has an MA in Sustainable Development Advocacy and her degree is in Geography and Environmental Studies.
Visit the Soil Association
Colin Baines
Colin Baines, The Co-operative Group
Colin is an Ethics Adviser to The Co-operative Group. Formerly responsible for The Co-operative Bank Ethical Policy, he is now involved with The Co-operative’s shareholder engagements and government lobbying on sustainability issues
Visit The Co-operative
