The Importance of Coffee

• Coffee is the 2nd most highly traded commodity on the world market--surpassed only by oil.
• It is grown almost exclusively in the tropical and subtropical climates of developing countries. The economies of many of those countries depend soley on the export of coffee.
• Coffee is consumed primarily by developed countries. It could be an effective medium for transferring wealth from richer countries to poorer countries, but instead, wealthy multinational corporations are exploiting the poor. They get richer as the poor get poorer.

• The price paid to farmers for coffee beans has fallen by 70% since 1997. 
• Often farmers earn merely 60% of their production cost.
• The livelihood of 25 million coffee farming families are threatened.

The solution? FAIR TRADE. And not only Fair Trade coffee

All those involved in the Eco Schools group at Ringwood support Fair Trade. One student, Ellen Buxton, has made a big particularly big commitment. She has given presentations in assemblies and has made an impact. We hope that groups of students, teachers and individuals, will follow our example and buy Fair Trade goods when they can.

What is Fair Trade? Perhaps the best way of finding out is by looking at the Fair Trade website.