Comments for Wayne Roberts http://wayneroberts.ca Where Local Sustainable Food Policy Meets Action Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:42:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Fairly Good Success Story Hits a Snag by Rady http://wayneroberts.ca/archives/788/comment-page-1#comment-131995 Rady Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:42:00 +0000 http://wayneroberts.ca/?p=788#comment-131995 Hi Michel ~ Can you please advise where you got the "$6 billion a year" figure for fair trade products? I'm reading the 2011 report from FLO which states that sales volume is only 550 million pounds for 2010. It's their latest report, so your response would be most helpful. thanks Hi Michel ~ Can you please advise where you got the “$6 billion a year” figure for fair trade products?

I’m reading the 2011 report from FLO which states that sales volume is only 550 million pounds for 2010. It’s their latest report, so your response would be most helpful.

thanks

]]> Comment on Canadian Grieve Jack Layton, Crusader for City Health, Food, Environment and Optimism by Canadian Inventions http://wayneroberts.ca/archives/690/comment-page-1#comment-123003 Canadian Inventions Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:39:28 +0000 http://wayneroberts.ca/?p=690#comment-123003 RIP Jack Layton. He will be missed. RIP Jack Layton. He will be missed.

]]> Comment on Fairly Good Success Story Hits a Snag by Arik Theijsmeijer http://wayneroberts.ca/archives/788/comment-page-1#comment-118856 Arik Theijsmeijer Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:35:28 +0000 http://wayneroberts.ca/?p=788#comment-118856 On an agricultural study tour last year to Central America, our Ontario-wide Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) group visited fair trade coffee, cacao and sugar cane producers, and heard mixed reviews of the fair trade system. For one sugar cane association, the conditions placed upon production standards and use of revenues under the fair trade contracts were transforming the industry in many positive ways, improving product quality, lowering the environmental impacts of production, and ensuring the excess revenues from the contracts went to positive social and business development causes in the local communities. We were surprised that the price premiums under the contracts were not going directly to farmers, only indirectly to their association and communities. For many producers, the benefit of stable prices was more than offset by the fact that for most of the past ten years those fixed prices have been lower than the global market price. There seemed to be some talk in the fair trade indsustry of making the fixed price more of a floor that could rise with commodity prices. Otherwise as it stands it almost appears that corporations are taking advantage of the situation and actually paying less for the products of these small famers than they otherwise would on the open market. This is not what the consumer in Canada expects of Fair Trade. Any comments from Wayne or Michael on these concerns? On an agricultural study tour last year to Central America, our Ontario-wide Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) group visited fair trade coffee, cacao and sugar cane producers, and heard mixed reviews of the fair trade system. For one sugar cane association, the conditions placed upon production standards and use of revenues under the fair trade contracts were transforming the industry in many positive ways, improving product quality, lowering the environmental impacts of production, and ensuring the excess revenues from the contracts went to positive social and business development causes in the local communities. We were surprised that the price premiums under the contracts were not going directly to farmers, only indirectly to their association and communities.

For many producers, the benefit of stable prices was more than offset by the fact that for most of the past ten years those fixed prices have been lower than the global market price. There seemed to be some talk in the fair trade indsustry of making the fixed price more of a floor that could rise with commodity prices. Otherwise as it stands it almost appears that corporations are taking advantage of the situation and actually paying less for the products of these small famers than they otherwise would on the open market. This is not what the consumer in Canada expects of Fair Trade.

Any comments from Wayne or Michael on these concerns?

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