“What exactly is fair trade?” You might hear someone ask commonly, “Why should I care about it?”

At least I’ve been asked such a thing multiple times. It’s a fair question, and definitely one that a vastly larger amount of consumers need to know the answer to. Fairtrade practices arise in socially driven consumer habits that call for more sustainable and also ethical working conditions for farmers and workers of ingredients in every-day products. This provides for a plethora of necessary human rights (redundant, sorry) and also creates safe working environments for members of communities, particularly in developing countries.

The Logo to Look For
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 It allows for safety in industries where children are a major fraction of the work force and also creates protected relationships between industry and actual workers. As a result, fewer workers world-wide have been diagnosed with diseases or sustained injuries from work-related matters. These results stem from the Fairtrade Organization and its relationship with farming cultures and communities and their efforts to ensure and adhere to sustainable and safe cultivation and production methods. Not only this, but equally distributed pay is taken into consideration and applied to every reach of the farming process. The standards also call for restrictions on use of harmful man-made chemicals in natural growing processes.

Squint Closely at the Label on the Banana; It'll Make You Smile Too
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Like any movement driven by social patterns and understandings, there is existing criticism. Farmers are spending more of their income on their workers and working environment, and if sales of that particular good are not good, the farmer really is forced into a tough position and sometimes must completely lay-off workers, leaving them with no working conditions at all.

Tea Leaf Worker for Fairtrade Farm
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With a greater awareness of the answer to “what exactly is fair trade,” more products with the Fairtrade logo will [hopefully] be bought and consumed, motivating other farming industries and communities to push toward adhering to Fairtrade practices, expanding the number of farmers and workers positively influenced by it. I definitely believe the practices make a difference and it will continue to exponentially grow with greater consideration and knowledge of the standards. 

     This field study was certainly a field study for the ages. It was a grey and dreary day and the cold bit at our faces with every gust. The bare branches of the Kelleris Winery’s plants and vines rattled in the wind but our fearless guide, Søren, held his stance strong as he enlightened our eager class with the magic that was grape cultivation and Danish wine production. Reflecting on our visit, it was really interesting to feel and stand in the harsh elements that the plants must thrive in at some point and what care and effort goes into their proper cultivation. 

Kelleris Winery, Denmark
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      Søren gave his detailed account on the product that his 4,200 plants could produce while also holding up his award-winning product against the scale of all Danish wine production, which is a very narrow niche. He spoke of his specialty in red wine and the variations in flavor and alcohol content based on small factors such as the wood of the barrels and time spent aging/fermenting. I really valued how much he cared about his work and also the healthy growth of his plants and I find it to be an indicator of the quality of what he produces and also the impact wine has on a community.

Italian Viticulture
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    There are very few wineries in Denmark and Kelleris definitely assists in keeping Danish wine production to be held in high regard. Upon entering the work cellar, our class was met with a welcome activity for 11:00 am: wine tasting. Throughout my time in Europe this semester, my perception of alcohol as a social tool and discussion facilitator was continuously reinforced. This day only solidified this concept in my mind in watching (and being part of) this wonderfully awkward group of history and environmental studies majors and the quick and genuine conversation that struck up shortly after the first glass or two of the six total we tasted. Of course, the specifics of the economics behind the international wine industry and also those of the Danish wine industry in particular are clear and significant. But the social impact of wine and the wide variety of honest conversation and (sometimes) political discussion incited through the product cannot go unnoticed. 

Truth in Modern Humor
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