Fair Trade, Food Sovereignty and Democracy

Panel Presentation: From the Global Village to the Home Front
by Marie Burge
National Farmers Union Convention, November 23, 2007, London, Ontario

During this convention the back drop of many of our discussions will be the overwhelming crises in food production and distribution. No one in this room needs to be reminded that primary producers bear the major burden of these crises. The fallout, however, is felt by all citizens. Citizens and residents of Canada are more and more becoming aware that the our country has lost much of the control over its food.

We know that the predominant industrial model of production and distribution is incompatible with the capacities of the land, the health of the sea, forests, waterways and air. The industrial model protects high profit margins for input suppliers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers. Too many excellent farmers and fishers have gone out of production in the past fifteen years because of low prices for their products. There is a concentration of land, equipment, and technology in the hands of fewer producers. Food is becoming increasingly more unsafe and there is a basic disconnect between food producers and other citizens. As well there is denial of the irreversible environmental and energy costs which in fact make industrial food production one of the most inefficient forms of production. Industrial agriculture is designed to ignore national and cultural sovereignty. The only loyalty is to the corporate boardroom.

On the other hand, it is a moment of opportunity. A new awareness is growing as people witness fish stock depletion, land deterioration, chemical pollution of waterways and of the air. The unacceptably high nitrate levels in our water is creating a groundswell of anxiety mixed with determination for positive change. In addition, people are alarmed about the possibility of toxins in their daily food and about their future access to safe and healthy meat, fish, dairy products and vegetables. Greater numbers of citizens perceive as a threat to their well-being and to the security of future generations the prevalence of insufficiently tested technologies such as Genetically Modified Organisms.

Other good news. The NFU has remained faithful to its commitment to defending the family farm; constantly keeping Canada's agricultural policy under a social justice microscope; and insisting that there are viable solutions to the current crises in farming. The Fair Trade movement is progressing on many fronts. The citizens of Town of Wolfville are giving great courage to many sectors by proclaiming themselves a "fair trade town", the first in Canada. Fair Trade in agricultural products is growing in leaps and bounds in countries of the South and also in the North.

The discussion around establishing Fair Trade as a antidote or alternative to a market-driven food economy requires us to have constant clear analysis of the total system. There is a new consciousness about the nature of industrial agriculture as a total system, whose roots are complex, intertwined and protected by policies of bootlicking governments like we have had in Canada for the past forty years. We could invest great quantities of time, energy, and financial resources into the organization of Fair Trade, only to find that if it is successful, it will be appropriated by the industrial sector. There is, of course, a certain satisfaction to finding that in various situations (as is the case in Reg's experience in the Caribbean) the corporations are brought to heel and are forced to declare themselves as Fair Trade buyers and sellers. However, as we proceed to create new instruments of market independence, we need to have as our vision and long-term goal the establishing of food sovereignty Canada, and for all other peoples in the world. This requires a strong political struggle.

We need to be clear that, traditionally, many of our Northern policies have impacted negatively on countries in the South. And we need to always be in awe of the courageous Fair Trade initiatives in the South, being careful that our Northern Fair Trade efforts do not interfere with the progress of the Fair Trade-South. A relationship based on respectful South-North learning and cooperation is the only thing that makes sense.

Most essential among the principles underlying the Fair Trade movement is a deep commitment to democratic mind-set and heart-set. In fact, democracy is also an end result of following all the other principles. "Fair Trade emphasizes co-operative organization as a means of empowering producers, workers and consumers to gain more control over their economic and social lives. In situations where such organization is absent, mechanisms will be created to ensure the democratic participation of producers and workers, and the equitable distribution of the fruits of trade." (Domestic Fair Trade Working Group: La Farge, WI)

I have now mentioned three important reasons why the National Farmers Union's deep commitment to Fair Trade is so essential for the promotion of Fair Trade: the NFU consistently and uniquely does the Big Picture political struggle for sane agricultural public policies; the NFU has created through its Via Campesina involvement an amazing understanding and collaboration between farmers of the South and farmers of the North; and the NFU in its structure is a role for democratic processes. In closing I quote from a resolution passed at the NFU Annual Convention in November, 2006:

Whereas there is a growing corporate concentration of power in the food system which is making it difficult for producers to know the needs of consumers and for consumers to know the real cost and conditions of food production, and Whereas the Fair Trade label is one mechanism farmers are able to use to provide consumers with information about the social impact of alternative production and marketing practices, therefore be it resolved that the NFU establish a committee to study the possibility of establishing a domestic Fair Trade label for Canadian farm products. Be it further resolved that the study explore the feasibility of the NFU becoming the bargaining organization for negotiations between Canadian farmers and Fair Trade organization(s).

Cooper Institute in Prince Edward Island is proud to associate with the National Farmers Union in a project designed to create steps and processes for the development of a plan for the promotion and development of a Canada-wide Fair Trade for farm products.