Fairtrade

Fairtrade

http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/sustainability/be/fair-trade/what-is-fair-trade

Fairtrade is a global movement aiming to improve trading conditions for farmers, especially those in developing countries, as well as promote environmental sustainability of these goods.  According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, being labeled as a “Fairtrade” product or producer requires:

1. Financial transparency and traceable sales of goods
2. Ethical labor conditions (with respect to age, hours worked, working environment, and safety)
3. Respect for the environment throughout production (including water and energy conservation, minimal usage of harsh chemicals, and respect for biological and ecological diversity)

http://www.haverford.edu/organizations/fairtradeinitiative

Thus, Fairtrade strives to make a difference in our world by promoting justice for all individuals and environmental resources involved in global trade of goods.  While crops like cotton, bananas, and coffee are some of the products most commonly associated with fair trade, the term is evolving to also include manufactured products, like sports balls, cosmetics, and 3D printer supplies.  In addition to the “Fairtrade Minimum Price,” setting a minimum sales price for the just trade of each good, “Fairtrade Premiums” are additional payments (say, for example, an extra $0.10 per pound of cotton) added to each sales price to benefit the exporters.  However, these funds cannot simply be given to farmers as monetary bonuses; they must be spent on other social causes, like education or health, to benefit the community, and producers themselves decide how to allocate the money.

http://galleryhip.com/fair-trade-farmers.html

As more and more products on developed world store shelves flaunt the “Fairtrade” label, many critics argue that the term has now become commercialized, and consequently, laborers are still locked in our capitalistic market.  As described in this BBC article, Third World producers rely on Western World consumers to continue spending more on Fairtrade products, and the Fairtrade label is arguably too focused on subtle wage increases instead of actually building modern infrastructure and economies.  Also, it is often reported that the working conditions of Fair-trade products are often no better than their non-Fairtrade counterparts.  Despite these criticisms of its actual effectiveness in the real world, Fairtrade is certainly an admirable cause, and it has helped raise awareness about social justice issues within our global markets. Looking to the future, consumers and distributers will hopefully use this awareness to make more ethical decisions when engaging in world trade.

Wonderful World of Wine

Wonderful World of Wine

http://www.wallconvert.com/wallpapers/photography/wine-19692.html

When thinking about winemaking regions of the world, North Zealand is probably not the first one that comes to mind.  However, after our field study to Kelleris Vineyard, I came to appreciate the enormous impact that wine has had all around the world, and the modern advancements that allow for the cultivation of grapes in Denmark.  First, the vineyard owner explained that up until a few decades ago, Denmark’s cold northern climate was unsuitable for grape cultivation.  Consequently, most Danes drank beer over wine, and any wine had to be imported from a more warm-weather winemaking country.  However, biotechnological advancements have made the cultivation of these grapes possible outside their traditional winemaking regions.  Aside from the impressive agricultural advancements themselves, it is perhaps even more remarkable that wine had enough of an impact to drive these innovations.  As with so many other plants that have dominated world history, wine had so mesmerized the people of the world that they devised new means of modifying the grape plants so they could grow in far more diverse climates.   

http://nov14th.wordpress.com/2013/12/21/wine-history/

Looking beyond modern Denmark, evidence suggests wine has shaped human history for the last 6000 years.  Though wine was first produced in the Middle East, over the century it has become one of the world’s most popular beverages, reaching every continent on the globe (minus Antarctica).  Evidenced in the various pagan wine gods and in the Christian belief in wine being transfigured into the Blood of Christ, wine has played key roles in world religions for ages.  Wine has also inspired many of the world’s artistic masterpieces, ranging from ornate wine vases of antiquity to the paintings of artists like Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh (shown below).  Though winemaking today has grown to be a multibillion-dollar industry, its impacts extend far beyond the modern economy.  Indeed, wine has been one of the most influential plant products in all of human history.

https://www.wineofthemonth.co.za/the-wine-press/5-famous-paintings-with-wine

Today's Plants of Power

Today's Plants of Power: Cotton, Corn, and Rubber

http://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-1497370-stock-footage-caterpillars-munch-on-cotton-plants-silhouetted-in-bright-sun-p.html

Of all the plants on the planet, cotton, corn and rubber have been three of the most influential ones in our world today.

Turning first to cotton, at this point in 2014, there have been nearly 116 million 480-pound bales of cotton produced.  While common is most commonly known for its textile applications in products such as clothing and bedding, cotton fibers are also used in medicine and cosmetics to make bandages and cotton balls.  Additionally, cottonseeds contain cholesterol-free, polyunsaturated fats, which may be used to produce soaps, margarine, pharmaceutical drugs, paint, candles, cosmetic products, cooking oils, and feed for livestock.  Thus, with applications in nearly all aspects of life, cotton is one of the world’s most important crops.

http://ethanolfreegasla.blogspot.dk/2012/08/the-many-many-uses-for-corn.html

Corn is another crop that dominates our world today.   Topping the list of world grain production, over 872 million metric tons of corn were produced globally in 2012 alone.  Like cotton, corn has a wide range of uses in the modern world.  Relatively easy and inexpensive to produce, corn serves as one of the world’s most important sources of food, as its kernels can be eaten on or off the cobb, canned, or frozen to provide life-sustaining nutritional value.  Additionally, corn may be used as feed for livestock, and corn starch and/or corn syrup are found in nearly all processed foods on the market.  Corn also has a wide range of uses outside the food realm, including penicillin production, ethanol, and industrial glue.

http://www.naturalrubbersheet.asia/images/RubberBandBall_flat.png

Like corn and cotton, rubber, too, predominates nearly all aspects of modern life, highly valued for its insulating properties and its elasticity after vulcanization.  Over 12 million tons of rubber were produced worldwide in 2013, for use in products like automobile and bicycle tires, rain jackets, waterproof gloves for dishwashing, electrical products, and hairties.  Rubber is also often used industrially to make erasers, sponges, hoses, pillows, soles of shoes, and factory equipment.  While synthetic rubber is now being produced to replace natural rubber, many still argue that the properties of natural rubber are superior to those of the synthetic counterpart.

Integral to nearly every aspect of daily life, cotton, corn, and rubber are truly plants of power in the modern world.

Food Security: a Global Crisis

Food Security: a Global Crisis

http://www.ebrd.com/pages/news/features/ebrd-and-food-security.shtml

All living organisms need energy to survive, and as human beings, we satisfy those energy needs via food.  It seems obvious, then, that a global food crisis would pose major life-threats to the world’s people.  Living in the developed world dependent on capitalistic food providers, many Americans might not realize that there are an estimated 805 million people chronically undernourished around the world.  While it might seem a daunting task to feed the world’s projected 2050 population of 9 billion people, ensuring environmental sustainability, establishing stable political frameworks, raising public awareness, and finding alternate sources of fuel all offer viable means of resolving this crucial issue.

http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4030e.pdf

The climate and soil quality are vital for agriculture, so in order to maximize not only crop yield but also nutritional value, we need to ensure that we are promoting a sustainable global living environment.  However, when it comes to actually implementing these ideals, we encounter two main roadblocks: science and economics.  First, while we have definitely made progress within the last few decades to develop advanced technology to slow environmental damage (solar panels, battery-powered cars, etc), we need a lot more research to design a completely 

environmentally-friendly yet efficient world- and doing so requires time, energy, and money.  Further, we need fuel to run machines, but often we obtain energy from biofuels such as corn or other grains.  Thus, we are forced to choose between feeding the world’s people and feeding the developed world’s machines.

http://www.foodsecuritynews.com/What-is-food-security.htm

As the government plays a key role in the distribution and regulation of food, another question we must consider is how we structure our governments.  Further, we must ask ourselves which public policies should we implement in order to best allocate our food resources.

Science, Technology, and GMOs

Finally, in our attempt to feed the world, we must ensure that the food we are actually nutritious and worthy of nourishing the world population.  While agricultural innovations have allowed for the mass production of grains and other crops, humans cannot survive on grains alone- we need sources of protein.  However, domesticating animals to produce meat also requires grains and crops as food for the animals, so, again, we are forced to choose between feeding people and feeding animals, which would then provide sources of highly nutritious protein.  Additional health concerns arise with the growing use of pesticides, chemicals, and genetically modified plants.  We might be producing more food to feed more people, but are these products actually healthy?