improving community

benefits of fair trade

The first community Fair Trade principles help improve is the workers’. On the farm in Kenya, Fair Trade premium money has been used to benefit the workers in several ways: to vaccinate them against common diseases, to provide new mattresses, to improve the medical dispensary on the farm, to help interested workers purchase their own land as well as solar panels for sustainable energy, and to provide education cost assistance for workers and their children. While this list is not exhaustive, and is growing each year, it illustrates how a Fair Trade company puts its workers first.

The benefits of Fair Trade principles extend beyond the company and its workers—it directly affects the surrounding community in positive ways, as well. Major donations have been made to local children’s homes (both monetary and equipment), community schools, and a local hospital.

A mill was built in 2004, and continues to provide a basic form of local food at a subsidized price to anyone who needs it.

Fair Trade premium money is also instrumental in HIV/AIDS awareness and education campaigns, both on and off the farm. There are other community benefits of Fair Trade principles that don’t directly involve money. Because of the stringent international standards that Fair Trade labels impose on farms, workers experience a range of benefits that improve their expectations and job satisfaction. These benefits include standard paid vacation, long paid maternity leave, ultra-safe regulations about handling chemicals, non-discrimination policies for workers (or potential ones) suffering from HIV or AIDS, and a list of other benefits.