I’m going to be writing about something a little different today, and it’s not going to be so much what you can do to make your life better, but what you can do to help make someone else’s life better.

Ever go to a coffee cafe? Like Starbucks, McCafe, Coffee Bean?

Did you know that there is a big difference between the amount we pay for that cup of coffee and the amount the coffee farmer makes?

Obvious, isn’t it?

But at what cost?

Low coffee prices also have long-term and widespread effects on whole communities and countries where coffee is a major export:

Children miss out on their education because parents can’t afford school fees.

Less foreign currency coming into the country means that the government is less able to pay off foreign debt.

The country has fewer educated people for administration, politics, and business.

Men move to cities to find work, leaving women and children to work on farms.

Widespread poverty is a major cause of conflict and civil war. For example, in Burundi, where the economy is dependent on coffee for 80% of its income from exports.

(source here)

Why? In a nutshell;

The bargaining power of small-scale farmers is very low compared with that of the giant coffee roasters (such as Nestlé and Kraft). In fact, some of the poorest and most powerless people are negotiating in an open market with some of the richest and most powerful.

While the roasters can source their coffee from a variety of countries and use their buying power to reduce the price, farmers operate in isolated rural areas with little access to credit, transport or information about prices. They have to accept the price they are offered by the trader who comes to buy their coffee.

Do you have to contribute to making other people lives worse? No, you don’t. So what can you do?

Starbucks has started to offer Fair Trade coffee at its outlets. What is Fair Trade?

Fair Trade is a growing, international movement which ensures that producers in poor countries get a fair deal. This means a fair price for their goods (one that covers the cost of production and guarantees a living income), long-term contracts which provide real security; and for many, support to gain the knowledge and skills that they need to develop their businesses and increase sales.

(source here)

The next time you go to Starbucks, look around for the Fair Trade coffee on the menu, or simply ask for it. That little act of buying a Fair Trade cup adds up to make someone else’s life out there a little better.

Remember, you make a difference either way, which way is up to you.

If you have a blog, you can participate in the Starbucks Challenge by Green LA Girl.

You can also read about another Singaporean, The Media Slut’s (yes, The Media Slut) experience here (I had a yummy cup at Northpoint, Yishun).

And you can read more about Fair Trade at Make Trade Fair.