This is the story of Fair Trade, mainly in the UK, from 1998-2008. The author is the Director of the Fairtrade Foundation and much of the story is told from first-hand knowledge. It is an inspiring book, with on the ground stories of how Fair Trade has changed the lives of small farmers and producers. It is a challenging book showing how tenacious and persistent those advocating for Fair Trade had, and have, to be. The most encouraging aspect is the move by larger supermarket chains to stock fair trade, not just because it sells, but because it is the ethical thing to do. It is the kind of book that fires the reader to action. Indeed at the end of the book are lists of actions we can take.
Perhaps a weakness is playing down the contribution of other groups like Rainforest Alliance, and I would have liked to hear more about Traidcraft and the earlier years of trying to sell Fair Trade. It is also, necessarily, very UK focussed. Fair Trade in Australia is much less advanced, partly because most food stuffs are not imported, and partly due to less interest. Having Cadbury able to label its Dairy Milk as Fair Trade is a great step forward. More concerning is that, for example, bananas cannot be imported here, even when there are great shortages due to cyclones. This means that the poorer Philippines farmers cannot take the opportunity to grow its own market. And here is the heart of the trade dilemma. To favour one group of producers is to disadvantage another, and neither is undeserving of favour. There is a balance to be found, and mistakes will be made. However, that does not mean saying that it is all too hard and doing nothing. This book is deeply encouraging because it shows the giant steps taken and challenging, in that there are even bigger ones to be faced if the world is to have equitable trade.
