Tufts hosts second annual Fair Trade Forum

Students from several Massachusetts universities gathered for the second annual Fair Trade Forum at Cabot Auditorium on Friday to learn more about what they can do to encourage support of Fair Trade products on their respective campuses.

The Fair Trade movement, according to organizers, is a growing international cause which focuses on the welfare and self-sufficiency of farmers in poor countries. Fair Trade takes a market-based approach to ensuring that small farmers avoid debt, improve working conditions, and develop the knowledge and skills to benefit their businesses. Because buying Fair Trade products is one way to help ensure that farmers will be paid a living wage, many students at the Forum discussed different ways to work towards that goal.

An afternoon panel involving college students who have done significant work to further the Fair Trade movement included Tufts senior Cindy Chang, who worked with sophomores Caroline Mauldin and Erin Allweiss to found the Tufts Fair Trade Coalition last fall.

The Coalition has approached individual academic departments to switch to Fair Trade coffee. While Hotung Caf?© and Brown and Brew already offer Fair Trade coffee, the coalition hopes to encourage campus dining halls to serve the coffee next semester.

"The short term goal of the coalition is to begin raising awareness of the issue of Fair Trade here at Tufts," said Mauldin, who hopes to see Tufts serving only Fair Trade coffee by 2005.

Raising awareness was a major goal of the forum, according to Nahid Bhadella, a member of a national two-year campaign called Raise Your Voice, which participated in the event. Raise Your Voice was developed to educate college campuses about global socioeconomic issues, including fair trade.

"There is a growing understanding that economics are the new politics. As consumers, our daily actions affect the lives and livelihood of others," according to Bhadella, who said the forum allowed students to deconstruct problems and find new avenues for change.

A morning panel entitled "All About Fair Trade" gave students a basic introduction to the problems of global trade and the poverty and distress it can cause. The panelists included the coordinators for such organizations as Oxfam America, Equal Exchange, and Boston Fair Trade Action Group.

The afternoon included a time for action planning and networking with other students, followed by several hour-long workshops. Workshop topics included "Campaign Organizing: Getting Where You Want To Go" and "Media, Perception, and Social Change -- Oxfam's Perspective."

Friday's forum was a major accomplishment for the Fair Trade movement, and extremely helpful for the Tufts Coalition, according to Mauldin and Allweiss. Because the coalition is seeking more student involvement, the forum allowed Tufts to see what paths other colleges have taken to successfully serve Fair Trade coffee on campus.

Bhadella emphasized that involving students in a forum is a form of mobilization more effective than the protests against free trade that are often seen.

"Instead of showing opposition to something, we encourage dialogue. People come to learn from each other and share with one another. Leaving the conference, students have a general idea of what action to take next," she said.

The Fair Trade movement began in the mid-90's and has been gaining support ever since.

"When I came to the United States for my undergraduate education, I was very interested in Fair Trade, as I came from a developing country," said a Northeastern graduate student attending the Forum. "It was a small number of us working to promote Fair Trade then, it's so encouraging to see the number of people who turn out today in support."

The Forum was sponsored by the Massachusetts Compact, Oxfam America, and the University College of Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS), all of which support promoting student involvement in public service issues.