Enabling farmers to be the protagonists of their own development — this is the goal of fair trade, or Fairtrade. Alce Nero explains how it supports this form of alternative economy during a round table in Milan.
Buying has become a gesture embedded in our daily lives, something we often do automatically, almost unconsciously. In reality, every time we reach for our wallet we are actively participating in that vast network of transactions that is the economy — a system that is now globalised and governs every aspect of our lives. For example, when we choose to buy ethical products we send a signal to the markets: that we consider respect for people and for the environment to be important values. This insight is at the heart of fair trade, Fairtrade in English — a form of economic relationship that is more advantageous for farmers in developing countries, the so-called Global South.
It has been almost 40 years since seven villages in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico joined an initiative to obtain better prices for farmers, and from that seed an alternative economic system was born — one that guarantees producers the financial resources to escape poverty and invest in sustainable development. This market, certified by the international Fairtrade label and which last year generated a turnover of 8.5 billion euros globally, is known in Italy as commercio equo. It continues to grow thanks to the commitment of all the players in the supply chain — from producers to consumers, via the companies that have chosen to embrace the cause by certifying their products, as Alce Nero does, an Italian excellence in organics.
To better understand what fair trade is and why many Alce Nero products — such as cacao and sugar, but also coffee, chocolate, shortbread biscuits, rice drinks and green tea — are Fairtrade certified, the event Una colazione giusta will be held on 14 December in Milan, at Fusillo lab. A round table moderated by LifeGate that is not open to the public but which we will cover on our social channels, it will bring together a range of voices. Benedetta Frare, communications manager at Fairtrade Italia, will speak about the regions, workers' rights and how the social fabric and development of local communities are protected. Representing Alce Nero will be Chiara Marzaduri, communications manager, and Paola Munforte, product manager, to discuss how the principles of organic farming and fair trade encompass a positive development of the economic, social and environmental fabric of the territories in which they operate. Finally, bloggers Lidia Forlivesi and Federica Di Nardo will also bring the worlds of food trends and travel — their respective areas of focus — into the discussion.
"When you eat our chocolate, think of the farmers who live on the other side of the world" — this is the message from a producer at the Norandino cooperative in Palo Blanco Chulucanas in Peru, who grows organic cacao in keeping with biodiversity, sold in Italy under the Alce Nero brand. A message that will guide the Milan meeting for a debate with a global perspective, in which farmers from Latin America, Asia and Africa will always remain at the centre.
Fair trade aims to break the chain of exploitation: many farmers see a large share of their earnings end up in the hands of middlemen, work in conditions that are dangerous to their health — due, for example, to the use of pesticides and herbicides in the fields — and witness the destruction of their territories as a result of deforestation and soil depletion. The goal is to accompany them in a transformation from vulnerable subjects to protagonists of their own economic self-sufficiency — not only by paying them a fair minimum price for the fruits of their labour, but also by granting them a premium to be used for social development projects.
Producers thus gain direct access to industrialised markets and receive technical assistance in adopting low-environmental-impact practices such as organic farming. For their part, they commit to managing the Fairtrade premium through democratic cooperatives and in the interests of their communities, to respecting workers' rights and to not using child labour.
When we buy something, we are not simply deciding which product we want — we are choosing whether to support an economic system that produces a great many things or one that generates wellbeing for people and for the environment. At the Una colazione giusta meeting, the discussion will focus on how fair trade can offer a valid alternative so that producers, companies and consumers can make this choice every day.