Fair Trade: A New Chance for Palestinian Agricultural Producers

The following section of this message contains a file attachment
prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.
If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,
you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.
If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.

—- File information ———–
File: olivelogo2.jpg
Date: 20 Dec 2005, 7:57
Size: 13672 bytes.
Type: JPEG-image

The following section of this message contains a file attachment
prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.
If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,
you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.
If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.

—- File information ———–
File: pbasecom.jpg
Date: 20 Dec 2005, 7:58
Size: 46218 bytes.
Type: JPEG-image

The following section of this message contains a file attachment
prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.
If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,
you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.
If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.

—- File information ———–
File: palestineredcrescentsoci_000.jpg
Date: 20 Dec 2005, 7:58
Size: 17794 bytes.
Type: JPEG-image

Fair Trade: A New Chance for Palestinian Agricultural Producers

AFSC

In the past several years, fair trade initiatives have captured the attention of socially minded consumers and organizers, who have recognized an opportunity to forge more honest trade relations, while emphasizing human stories and political issues behind commodity production. While economic justice activism has mostly focused on Latin America, Africa and some areas of Asia, fair trade has been a relatively new topic of discussion when it comes to Israel and Palestine.

Several fair trade initiatives emerged recently as a way to promote awareness about the realities of Israeli military occupation and its impact on Palestinian farmers. Some of the groups working on this effort are the Palestinian Fair Trade Association (PFTA), Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC), Zatoun Canada, Zaytoun UK, Oxfam International, Green Action Israel and Alter-Eco France. Individually and in cooperation, these groups have struggled to market Palestinian fair trade products, mainly olive oil, to buyers in Israel, Europe and North America.

Fair trade is a movement that promotes economic partnerships based on equality, justice and sustainable agricultural practices. By providing an alternative to conventional markets and products, fair trade connects consumers in the West with producers from other countries, by emphasizing fair value return, environmental protection, human and workers’ rights.

The initiative started in Europe during the 1960s, under the name alternative trade. Throughout the years, alternative trade attracted socially minded consumers and activists who bought fairly traded product at bazaars, craft fairs, and other smaller markets. Over time, fair trade grew and established its own institutions, such as the Fair Trade Labeling Organization (FLO). In 1997, FLO became one of the overarching organizations in charge of fair trade certified caution process, bringing together 17 different national consumer initiatives in Europe, North America and Japan. Today, FLO sets fair trade standards for many different commodities, such as coffee, tea and sugar, encompassing different labels like Transfair USA and Max Havelaar, Netherlands.

In order for producers to get certified, they have to meet the specific standards set by FLO. After independent investigators have evaluated production facilities and made sure fair trade principles are being applied, producers can obtain fair trade certification. However, although standards have been established for a number of frequently traded goods, many others await their own product- specific guidelines, which would enable them to officially label and market their products as fair trade. Unfortunately, the process takes time and money, which is the reason why many products still cannot obtain fair trade certification; one of these products is olive oil.

Fair Trade in Palestine

Palestinian products have mostly been off the fair trade radar, in part because of obstacles facing Palestinian exporters, but also because certification guidelines for the bulk of potential Palestinian exports do not yet exist. Olive oil, one of the trademark Palestinian products, cannot be certified in the United States, partly because the main American certifier Transfair gives priority to goods that have a larger share of the American market.

Palestinian women harvesting olives.

However, Oxfam Belgium imports olive oil from producers involved with Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees and sells it in its fair trade food stores. Recently, the Palestinians have established their own national union of farming and producing cooperatives called Palestinian Fair Trade Association. The group has developed its own guidelines for fair trade certification of olive oil producing cooperatives, modeled after other similar standards for different agricultural products.

These efforts come at a time of great need for Palestinian olive farmers, who each year watch 60% of their crops go to waste, because they are unable to transport their olives to presses, or sell their oil in the markets. The intensified military closure and the building of the separation barrier have had devastating effects on farmers, most of whom form the poorest strata of Palestinian society. Fair trade initiatives like these not only provide an opportunity to secure their livelihoods, but also serve as an important chance to educate the public about the hardship they face in their everyday lives.

By sending Palestinian product out in the world, farmers can forge connections with people in the West, and contribute to breaking down of stereotypes and barriers that arise out of negative representations in the media. Through olive oil and their personal stories, Palestinians can build their image as a people struggling to survive amidst extraordinary circumstances.

For additional info see:

http://www.afsc.org/israel-palestine/learn/fair-trade.htm

———————————————————————–

Everything about this list:

http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/epalestine

To unsubscribe, send mail to:

epalestine-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net

To subscribe, send mail to:

epalestine-subscribe@lists.riseup.net