A fairer trade of flowers

It''s not just on Valentine''s and Mother''s Days that women like to get flowers. They can be given throughout the to say thank you, in condolence, celebration and even just to brighten up the home. But do you know where all of our flowers come from? And how are they impacting the world around us?

The Fairtrade Foundation was established in 1992 by CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Tradecraft and the World Development Movement. It united industries across the globe to make trade fair for everyone.

The main aims of the Fairtrade Foundation are to make trade fair and open and to empower citizens in the developing world to trade on an international level to make profit and benefit their local communities.

There are conditions a company needs to adhere to in order to gain Fairtrade status. For example, it needs to set up projects and initiatives to help the local community and environment. In doing so, it hopes to improve development in the poorest regions of the world.

In the UK, flowers became part of the Fairtrade industry in 2003/4. In the first year of activity, retail sales were only ?4.3 million, but this figure had jumped to ?33.4 million in 2008. Even the recession didn''t do much to dampen our need for Fairtrade flowers, with sales faltering by less than ?4 million in 2009.

In 2007, globally consumers spent ?1.6 billion of Fairtrade products. This represents a 47% increase on the previous year. It worked in 58 developing countries to help more than seven million people from farmers to families in the surrounding community.

Fairtrade flowers are now available at a wide range of supermarkets, online retailers and individual florists on the high street. There are now 75 licensed products which is a 71% increase since 2006, and in 2007, over 83 million stems were sold. The most prominent flower varieties on offer through Fairtrade are roses, lisianthus, sunflowers, gypsophillia, alstroemeria, ruscus, carnations and lilies.

As a result of Fairtrade schemes, local communities have seen many life changing improvements. Kenya is one of the major growers of Fairtrade flowers; here schemes include an orphanage for HIV/AIDS orphans, new wells, a new medicine dispensary and bursaries for children wanting to attend to secondary school. The benefits of flower growing extend far beyond the fields.

Article Source: http://www.casinoarticlessite.com

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