Fairtrade Practice
 Read the text to find the key information. Read each part of the text carefully twice. Look back at the text to find my evidence.
 Use the PEE principle: I can make my point, quote evidence and then explain my evidence.
Maka Keita, cotton farmer from Mali in Africa
Maka is a cotton farmer in Doora village, Mali, West Africa. The village cotton
farmers are fairtrade farmers, and were certified in 2005.
Cotton prices were going down and down until they were below the cost of mak-
ing it. People in the village were demotivated and it was very depressing. But
now, we can make a reasonable living. My family can eat and we have better
health.
In the past, children had to walk 10 km to go to school, so really it was difficult.
We have now been able to build a school. At first it had two classrooms. When
we had more money and wanted to expand, we asked the government to help
us and now there are five classrooms in total, and every child in the village can
go to school.
We have also built a food storage facility so that we can have a year-round food
supply, and we have installed a pump for drinking water. We have built a new
road, enabling us to travel further than 5 km outside of the village without diffi-
culty.
Fairtrade means we have to use better farming methods. Before, empty chem-
ical containers would be used to carry water for us to drink. In some cases this
led to death. Now, we get rid of waste properly. We don't burn bushes any more
as the smoke was polluting the local area and killing lots of animals.
I encourage everyone to buy more Fairtrade products if they want to help im-
prove millions of lives.
Gerardo Arias Camacho, Coffee Farmer, Costa Rica, Central Amer-
ica
Gerardo is a coffee farmer in Llano Bonito, San José, Costa Rica. He is in charge
of the local fairtrade council.
In 1980, the price of coffee fell so low that it didn't cover the cost of production.
Many farmers abandoned their land and went to the cities to find work. Some
even left the country. In the mid-90s, I decided to go to America to make money
and support my family. After eight years, I had earned enough to buy the family
farm in Costa Rica. But coffee prices were still so low that I was forced to go back
to the America for another two years to earn more money.
Prices for coffee kept changing, causing us to loose a lot of money. We did not
have a local school, good roads or bridges. Now we have a fairtrade council,
prices are stable and we receive the right amount of money for our coffee. We
spend the money on schools, roads and bridges, and improving the old factory.
We have sponsored an education programme so that our kids can stay in school.
Since Fairtrade, our farms have become more environmentally friendly. Our cof-
fee is now produced in a maintainable way. We have planted trees and reduced
the use of pesticides by 80% in 10 years. We used to cut 50 acres of forest down
every year to burn in the ovens at our factory. Now we have a new oven which
is fuelled by rubbish, including coffee skins and the skins of macadamia nuts that
we buy from farmers on the other side of Costa Rica. It is a win-win business.
When you are shopping, look for the Fairtrade label - you can be sure that the
money is going straight to the farmers. It will help us, but it will also help people
around the world, because the benefits of protecting the environment are for
everyone. It is a matter of helping each other.
1|P á g i n a
1) From the fair-trade stories, find 2 words which suggest people 6) How many lives worldwide are benefiting from Fair trade? (3
weren’t happy. (1 mark) marks)

 ________________________________ _____________________________________________________
_____________________
 ________________________________
7) What was common to make life difficult for the farmers before
2) How can you help support Fair trade? (3 marks) Fair trade? (3 marks)

_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________

3) In the fair-trade stories: Order these statements from
Gerardo’s story from first to last: (2 marks)
(a) He had to go back to America
(b) They spent money on roads and bridges
(c) He went to America to earn money to buy his farm
(d) He bought his family farm
4) They now cut down 50 acres of forest every year to burn in the
ovens in the factory. (1 mark)
8) What do you think about Fair trade? (3 marks)
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
__________________________________________
9) Write the names of two people benefited by Fairtrade. (2
marks)
 __________________________
 __________________________

True False .
10) Fairtrade helps to protect the environment. (1 mark)

5) From the Fair-trade facts: Can you list 2 producer countries?

True False .
(1 marks)

 ___________________________

 ___________________________

2|P á g i n a