Fair Trade Coffee The lesson focuses attention on the plight of farmers in coffee growing regions of the developing world and how fair trade practices could help. Grade Level 6-8 Time Required 60-80 minutes Curriculum Connection The Ontario Curriculum for History and Geography Gr. 7 Natural Resources The Ontario Curriculum for History and Geography Gr. 8 Economic Systems Canadian National Geography Standards Essential Element #2 (grades 6-8) - Places and Regions Physical and human characteristics of places and regions Essential Element #4 (grades 6-8) Human Systems Global economic interdependence (trade, commerce) Geographic Skills #1 (grades 6-8) - Asking Geographic Questions Identify geographic issues, define geographic problems and pose geographic questions - 8) Canadian Geographic CIDA Map This lesson uses the Canadian Geographic CIDA map A Developing World. Copies of the map have been distributed to schools across Canada. To view an on-line version of the map, please go to www.canadiangeographic.ca/worldmap. Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment Required Activity sheet entitled Introduction Access to computer lab and/or encyclopedia set Possible website for information: o http://www.globalexchange.org Teacher answer sheet Answers Coffee company addresses Main Objective To identify the value of Fair Trade agreements for sustainable development in the coffee growing regions of the world
Learning Outcomes By the end of the lesson, students will be able to: Identify world coffee growing regions and their markets Summarize the benefits of Fair Trade agreements for the growers and workers Write an effective business letter to ask a specific question or to initiate another course of action to make people aware of the benefits of Fair Trade agreements. Lesson Introduction Show students the Fair Trade Introduction sheet. Lead the discussion on what factors influenced how much each task was worth. Lesson Development Use the second exercise on the Fair Trade Introduction sheet as a catalyst to slide into the topic of fair wages in other countries. Discuss the assignment as outlined on the Fair Trade Action worksheet. Review the answers using the Answers sheet. Conclusion Introduce the format and rubric for a business letter Lesson Extension Entice students to brainstorm other geography issues facing the people of developing countries. Follow the G8 summit meetings and report on their decisions. Investigate how CIDA is meeting the Millennium Development Goals, a set of international targets to reduce poverty and improve quality of life for people around the world. Assessment of Student Learning Use a rubric from Language to mark the effectiveness of the business letter. Sample rubric available at this url: http://volweb.utk.edu/schools/bedford/harrisms/letterrubric.htm
Introduction 1. Fair Trade Introduction a) Beside each, indicate how much money you would expect to get to complete the work. Please consider them carefully and place appropriate amounts in the spaces to the right. Activity Pay 1. Sort and prepare your weekly household recycling waste (garbage) and deliver it to the curb. 2. Wash the pots and pans and dishes after a birthday feast for 8 people. 3. Deliver an early morning paper to 40 homes for six days. 4. Baby-sit your neighbour's obnoxious children for a weekend. 5. Type a 5-page essay for your friend whose computer is broken. 6. Rake up all the fallen apples from a dozen trees, then pick the rest of the apples every few days as they ripen. 7. Stain a deck at Uncle Wayne s cottage in July. 8. Work one full day as a labourer on a local farm. b) When everyone has given their answers, discuss what factors influenced how much you felt each task was worth. c) Discuss and reach a consensus on a fair wage for each task. 2. Gross National Product (GNP) is one way to indicate the wealth of a country and compare it to others. If all the wealth generated by a country in one year was divided equally among the citizens, the resulting amount is called the GNP per capita. On the Canadian Geographic - Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) map A Developing World the GNP per capita is shown for most nations. It is one way of comparing the wealth of various countries. Canada s GNP per capita is listed on the map as $41,500. Using the GNP per capita information from the CIDA map, prepare a table to compare the wealth of Canada to that of the following countries: Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico. (Optional) Prepare a horizontal bar graph to illustrate the numeric information. Why do you think the GNP per capita is so low in these countries? What would be a reasonable wage for a day s work in these countries? What agricultural products do these Western Hemisphere countries cultivate?
Worksheet: Fair Trade Action Around the world over 20 million farmers make all or part of their income from growing coffee. Many of them are located in the countries with the lowest GNP s per capita they are poor. To quote from the Canadian Geographic - CIDA map - Canadians making a difference in the world... With the support from the Canadian International Development Agency 1 thousands of individual Canadians, hundreds of organizations, businesses and institutions are working with partners in developing countries to reduce poverty... As fledgling members of a CIDA action committee, you have been assigned to investigate the Fair Trade movement and how it might help to increase the wages for coffee growing farmers. Use this CIDA technique to examine the issues surrounding Fair Trade Coffee. C (Consideration) - Ponder the issue and make a brief statement about the problem. I (Investigation) - Investigate the issue using a variety of sources - Internet, reference books, texts, photos, newspapers, magazines, and interviews. D (Decision) - Weigh the evidence and make decisions about how to solve, or at least help to solve the problem. A (Action) - Plan a course of action that might help to solve the problem or at least make people more aware of it. After you have researched what Fair Trade coffee is, answer the following questions: 1. What is Fair Trade? 2. What are some of the conditions that must be met for a product to be Fair Trade certified? 1 The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is the federal government department responsible for managing the bulk of Canada s almost $3 billion aid program. CIDA s mandate is to support sustainable development in developing countries in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world.
3. Who benefits from Fair Trade? 4. How can you identify Fair Trade products? 5. What Fair Trade products are available? 6. Why should we consider buying Fair Trade coffee (and other Fair Trade products)? 7. What else can you do to promote the purchase of Fair Trade products?
Answer Sheet 1. What is Fair Trade? Fair Trade means a fair partnership between the companies that market the products in Europe and North America and those people that produce it in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world. A fair trade partnership works to provide low-income farmers with a living wage for their work. Source: Fair Trade Federation 2. What are some of the conditions that must be met for a product to be Fair Trade Certified? Paying a fair wage for that local area Offering employees opportunities for advancement Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices Being open to public accountability Building long-term trade relationships Providing healthy and safe working conditions Providing financial and technical assistance to producers whenever possible Ensuring that there is no abuse of child labor Source: Fair Trade Federation 3. Who benefits from Fair Trade? The Fair Trade system benefits over 800,000 farmers organized into cooperatives and unions in 48 countries. Fair Trade has helped farmers provide for their families' basic needs. Proceeds may also be invested in community or environmental development. 4. How can you identify Fair Trade Products? Fair Trade products are identified by the "Fair Trade Certified" label or the Fair Trade Federation logo on a product. The "Fair Trade Certified" system involves non-profit organizations in 17 different countries, all affiliated with Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International. In the USA, TransFair USA places the "Fair Trade Certified" label on individual products. The Fair Trade Federation is an association of businesses that follow fair trade principles, so its presence on a product DOES mean that a company supports the highest level of commitment to fair trade -100%. In Canada, TransFair Canada is an organization that promotes fair trade products. http://www.centralperccoffee.com/fairtrade.htm 5. What Fair Trade products are available? Fair Trade includes a range of goods, from agricultural products like coffee, cocoa, chocolate, tea, and bananas, to handicrafts like clothing, household items, and decorative arts.
6. Why should we consider buying Fair Trade coffee (and other products)? Buying fair trade helps support the notion that the welfare of the workers, or the environment in which the product was made is just as important as the bottom-line profits for a company. How we spend our money affects people's lives around the world. Increasingly consumers are demanding more humanely produced and environmentally sensitive products. Fair Trade helps to give producers a way to maintain their traditional lifestyles with dignity and fair income 7. What can you do to promote the purchase of Fair Trade products? Research a company that does not use fair trade and write a letter to encourage them to purchase items that are Fair Trade certified.