The Business of Food
Business of Food
CONTENTS
The ‘Big’ Business of Food
The Real Cost of Food
Who is Benefitting from Agricultural Trade?
The Agri-Food Chain
Food Dumping
Dumping and Donating
Where is it Fair?
Coffee — Who Wins? Who Loses?
Poisoned Youth
Case Study: Tanzania
Who’s in Control?
PROJECT PROFILES
Hundee
Dabane Trust
QUIZZES AND EXERCISES
Jeopardy
The Questions of Food
From Mathematics to Literature
—5 minute WFD exercises
ACTIVITIES
Tomasito the Tomato
The Land Challenge
Acknowledgements
Business of Food is a 2001 Oxfam Canada production.
Contributors
Linda Ross
Bill Hynd
Erin Drover
Deborah Quaicoe
Michelle Beveridge
Jaelyn McComas
Tracey Mitchell
Audra Krueger
Josee Tardif
Erin Stang
Paula Grosso
Rika Saha
Erin Skrapek
Nora Abouguendia
Mark Fried
Pia Pehtla, Designer Mice
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS:
‘BIG’ BUSINESS OF FOOD
‘BIG
‘BIG’’ Business of Food
Today, six or fewer companies control around 70 per cent of world
agricultural commodity trade.
I
New Internationalist, No. 190, Dec 1988
n Canada, an entire meal could be
brought to you courtesy of tobacco
giant Philip Morris Inc. through one
of its many alter-egos of Sungold Dairies,
Tombstone Pizza, Lender’s Bagel Bakery
or Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. More and
more of the food we eat is owned and
controlled by food multinational corporations, who dominate every sector from
seed to transportation to processed TV
dinners. And with this market dominance comes huge profit.
Multinational food companies are
making money at every step in the food
production chain—at the expense of the
small farmers who produce the food and
people who pay more money each year to
eat a less diverse and more processed
diet. Under this corporate food system,
many small farmers are now losing their
farms, while more and more people must
resort to food banks.
How did we get to
this stage?
We got to this stage through government policies that permitted multinational giants—which have no allegiance
to a country or its citizens—to move
into the food system with insufficient or
no regulations to hold them accountable.
International trade agreements like the
WTO and NAFTA, endorsed and heavily
promoted by the Canadian government,
further enlarged the share of the global
marketplace controlled by such companies.
The logic of global competition has
driven large companies to buy out smaller
ones and to squeeze even more profit out
of those growing the food. More and more
of the food we eat is controlled by fewer
and fewer corporations—the largest,
richest and most powerful ones.
Many people are concerned that such
companies focus solely on profit, neglecting health, environment, and the people
who work for them. As Nikki van der Gaag
of the magazine New Internationalist (NI)
says, “It is an approach to food production
which sees the soil only as a source of
profit and the earth as a resource to plunder.” (New Internationalist 323, May 2000)
Some of the concerns
include:
• Land Distribution — In many countries,
agribusinesses own the most fertile land.
Local people do not have land to farm, so
they have to work for the agribusinesses,
who often pay low wages and provide poor
working conditions. Very little of the
profits are invested in countries where the
food is grown. For example, for every
dollar that US consumers spend on bananas, only 14 cents stays in Central
America in the form of taxes and wages.
The rest of the money is taken out by the
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS: ‘BIG’ BUSINESS OF FOOD— CONTINUED
companies. (World Hunger: 10 Myths, page 90)
• Genetic Engineering — Many
agribusinesses genetically engineer the
seeds they grow. These seeds are then
patented. Putting aside for the moment
the potential dangers of GE foods, with
patented GE seeds, farmers must buy
seeds every year; they are not allowed to
save some seed from the previous year’s
harvest.
In 2001, Saskatchewan farmer Percy
Schmeiser was sued by the agribusiness
Monsanto. Some of Monsanto’s genetically engineered crops were found growing
on Schmeiser’s farm where he had been
growing a strain of crop he had developed
himself over the years. Schmeiser claimed
they came over as genetic drift, that they
had blown over from a field that was
planted with the GE Round Up Ready
seed. Monsanto claimed Schmeiser had
knowingly planted the seed and sued him
for infringing the Round-up Ready patent.
Monsanto won.
• Pesticides — Most agribusinesses use a
larger amount of pesticides than small
farmers, which can be damaging to the
environment, farmers, and consumers.
The World Health Organization estimates
that 3 million people a year are poisoned
by pesticides, and over 200,000 die.
(NI, May 2000, ‘Pick Your Poison’)
• Cash Crops — Usually agribusinesses
grow food for export rather than food to
be eaten in the country where it is grown.
When much of the land in a country is
devoted to export crops, the people have
to rely on imported food to eat, which is
often expensive. Oxfam Canada believes
developing countries should undertake
export agriculture only as part of a national plan to ensure everyone will have
enough to eat.
A corporate food system that relies on increased global trade
and production for export will be hard put to enable food security
for all.
OXFAM CANADA BELIEVES . . . .
“Any trade agreement must guarantee the food sovereignty
and security of the peoples, because food is a basic and fundamental human right. Food must be safe, accessible, and provide a
fair and adequate return to primary producers. Farming, livestock
production, fishing, and agro-forestry must be practiced in concert with public policies which protect and respect the rights of
the men and women of the land, including farmers, farm workers,
and indigenous people. Such policies must also protect and
respect their use of natural resources such as air, water, soil,
biodiversity, knowledge of genetic resources, the right to land,
and forms of collective community land rights.”
“The agricultural policies put into practice by the governments of the Western hemisphere must encourage and ensure the
existence of indigenous people, family farmers, and other people
who labour on the land. These policies must limit the export and
import of significant quantities of food which destroy our local
economies and put at risk our health and our environment.
Consequently, governments should promote sustainable agriculture and prohibit the use of transgenic food products. In addition, given the profound inequalities among our people, we
should seek equitable development rather than promoting ‘free
trade’ which is unequal by nature. The governments of the Western Hemisphere must recognize that the current policies of the
World Trade Organization and regional trade agreements, such as
NAFTA, have served to concentrate power and wealth in the hands
of a few transnational corporations and have deepened the poverty and dependency of our peoples.”
“We will not tolerate injustice and destruction caused by
such policies. Our struggle has a long history, and we are determined.”
The above is a statement made at the People’s Summit of the Americas in
Quebec on April 20, 2001. Representatives of rural communities who took
part in the Agriculture Forum called into question the role of trade agreements, multinational corporations and government policies in the food
system.
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS: THE REAL COST OF FOOD
The R
eal Cost of Food
Real
W
hat was the amount of your last
grocery bill? Are you the type of
person who shops with coupons
at the discount store? Or are you willing
to pay more for ‘quality’ and brand names?
Either way, you can be assured that wherever your food dollar goes, an inordinately
small amount is actually making its way
back to the farmer.
For generations, farmers have dedicated themselves to providing food for
people around the world. Yet, despite their
valued efforts, farmers are increasingly
being denied their entitled income. Instead, those who package,
market, transport, advertise, and process food are
exercising their corporate market
power to increase their share of
the consumer food dollar
while the farmer’s share
continually falls. Often, the
raw farm ingredient in the food
product is the least expensive ingredient in the mix.
A dairy farmer, for
example, will receive 16
cents from a glass of
milk that costs $1.50 in
a restaurant.
An average box of
Cornflakes in 1975 sold for
$0.55 and of this, producers received 7 cents for the
corn that went into it. In
1998, the price of Cornflakes increased
s
e
l
a
S
s
e
k
a
F
n
cers
u
d
Cor
o
r
p
sold received
Year for
7¢
.55
0
$
5
0¢
197
1
.03
3
$
8
199
sharply to $3.03 while the farmers’s have
rose to only 10 cents.
In 1975, Saskatchewan wheat in a
kilogram of flour represented over half
(51.2 %) of the retail price. By 1998, it
was 14.3 percent.
The disparity is evident.
Is this fair?
No.
Can we stop this?
Maybe.
One way to ensure that farmers are
getting more money for their product is to
buy organic food and products. Buy locally-grown products—you can be sure
that less money is going to the transportation of such products and more to the
farmer. Farmers also need to speak with a
united voice on critical issues to increase
their market power in the hopes of a better
future.
The following chart indicates just how
bad the situation is. Ask yourself: What is
it worth to you to be able to eat? And
shouldn’t that money be going to the
people who grow the food? After all, you
aren’t paying for the box, you’re paying for
what’s inside.
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CONTENTS:
THE REAL COST OF FOOD— CONTINUED
The declining share quantified Farmers have been pointing out the discrepancies for years: grocery bills may be increasing, but the producer portion of those bills remains small. These
examples show what farmers are paid for ingredients they supply
as grocery items compared to retail prices.
Canada’s Food
Costs Lower
Canadian consumers spend a
lower proportion of their
disposable income on food
than do consumers anywhere
else in the world, according
to 1999 figures. The percentage reflects both stable food
prices in Canada and Canadians’ high level of disposable
income, compared to incomes and costs in other
countries.
Canada
United States
United Kingdom
Australia
Japan
9.8%
10.9%
11.5%
14.6%
17.8%
Product
Year
Corn Flakes 1975
765 g
1997
Bread
675 g
Milk
1L
Beef
dressed
Eggs
one dozen
Chicken
$/kg
Producer portion for corn flakes reflects price of corn only
Producer portion for bread is based on the CWB price of wheat.
Source: Centre for Rural Studies and Enrichment, St. Peter’s College.
WHO
’S IN CONTROL
WHO’S
Nestle
• Beverages: Nescafé, Taster’s Choice,
Nestea, Nesquik, Carnation.
• Cereals: Golden Grahams, Cocoa Puffs,
Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast.
• Nestle infant foods
• Culinary Products: Maggi, Libby’s
• Frozen Foods: Magi, Stouffer’s,
Lean Cuisine.
• Ice Cream: Nestle Drumstick, Nestle
•
•
•
•
Crunch, Haagen-Dazs, Montego Sherbet
Bar, Chips Ahoy! Ice Cream Sandwich.
Chocolate: Crunch, KitKat, Quality Street,
Smarties, Baci, After Eight, Baby Ruth,
Butterfinger, Aero.
Pet Food: Friskies, Fancy Feast.
Pharmaceutical Products: Alcon,
Galderma
Cosmetics: L’Oreal
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS: WHO IS BENEFITTING FROM AGRICULTURAL TRADE?
Who is Benefitting
from Agricultural TTrade?
rade?
Excerpts from a brief by
the Canadian National
Farmers Union
New Internationalist No. 167, January 1987
D
espite record and rising ex
ports, Canadian farmers are
facing the lowest income levels
since the 1930s. For them, exportexpansion is not a winning strategy.
But we should also ask ourselves:
What is the effect of ever more and
ever cheaper Canadian agri-food
exports on the farmers in the recipient countries?
If a Canadian farm family cannot
make a living growing 1000 acres of
grains and oilseeds using the latest
technology, how are Thai and Peruvian farmers doing? Before we gear
up to “serve the Asian market” we
might want to ask who was previously
serving that market? Before we
negotiate the FTAA, we may want to
ask what will be the cost in terms of
economic dislocation? And when we
see famine and starvation, homelessness and landlessness, economic
instability and revolution around the
world, we should ask ourselves if
there is any connection between
these calamities and the effects that
our exports are having on indigenous
farmers and communities?
9
If Canadian farmers were winning and
those in other countries were losing, then
we might ask if the benefits were worth
the cost. But with Canadian farmers losing
as well, the answer is clear.
Around the world, peasants are being
forced off their land and into cities. Without money to buy food or land to grow it,
they face a desperate future. When we
push other countries to rely on Canadiangrown food rather than their own, we
foster a system wherein only those with
the money to buy food can eat.
Flooding the world market with food
at prices far below the cost of production
damages other countries’ ability to feed
their citizens. Below is an example from
the Philippines:
Production of food for local consumption is likewise on a downward
trend. The lack of government
support, the unabated and indiscriminate conversion of prime agricultural
lands, and the flooding of our markets with cheap imported agricultural
goods, all combine to render agriculture a sunset industry in the very
near future.(9)
In the Philippines today, 10 million
of the 32-million-person labour force
are unemployed and another 15
Proceedings of the forum on: The Asian Crisis: Impact on Women and Children,
August 20, 1998, Manila, Philippines, p. 3.
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS: WHO IS BENEFITTING FROM AGRICULTURAL TRADE?— CONTINUED
million are under-employed.(10) Given
this level of unemployment, moving
to a import-based, cash-based fooddistribution system seems unwise.
The story is the same around the
world. Farmers are being forced off their
land and into cities by a flood of cheap
food imports. Those remaining are forced
to divert land from domestic food production to export cash crops: simultaneously
exacerbating domestic hunger and international oversupply. The U.S., EU, and, to
some extent, Canada have attempted to
save some of their farmers through multibillion-dollar support payments. Unable to
match such payments, developing countries
are largely helpless as our cheap food
washes away their farmers, rural communities, and capacity to produce food.
10
There are beneficiaries of increased
agri-food trade and globalization: Archer
Daniels Midland’s worldwide revenues have
nearly doubled since 1990. ConAgra’s have
more than doubled since 1989. And Philip
Morris’s have tripled since 1987.
As these huge corporations grow,
their market power—their ability to buy
cheaper from farmers, sell higher to consumers, and bargain harder with workersalso grows. The failure of increased agrifood exports to benefit Canadian farmers,
consumers, or workers may be related to
the takeover of the global agri-food sector
by such corporations. When negotiating
trade and investment agreements, the
government should keep in mind that such
agreements add to the power and profitability of these corporations at the expense
of farmers and other citizens.
The Asian Crisis: Impact on Women and Children, p. 4.
WHO
’S IN CONTROL
WHO’S
Philip Morris
Miller Brewing
Company Products
Kraft
• Beverages: Maxwell House,
Crystal Light, Kool-Aid, Tang.
• Cereals: Alpha-Bits, Grape Nuts,
Honeycomb, Pebbles, Raisin
Bran, Shredded Wheat.
• Condiments and Sauces: Kraft
Mayonnaise, Bull’s Eye Barbeque
and Grilling Sauces.
• Desserts: Terry’s Chocolate
Orange, Toblerone, Jell-O, Dream
Whip Whipped Topping Mix.
• Mexican: Taco Bell Dinner Kits,
Salsa, and Meal Components.
• Miller Lite, Red Dog.
• Cheese: Kraft, Cracker Barrel,
Kraft Singles, Kraft Cheez Whiz,
Velveeta, Philadelphia Cream
Cheese.
• Processed Meat: Oscar Meyer
Hot Dogs, Cold Cuts, and
Bacon.
• Pizza: Digiorno, Tombstone.
Philip Morris Cigarettes
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CONTENTS: THE AGRI-FOOD CHAIN
The Agri-food Chain
I
magine food production as a long
chain. The first link represents oil
and natural gas companies. Moving up
to the next link, oil is refined into diesel
fuel and fertilizer companies turn natural
gas into fertilizer (anhydrous ammonia, one
of the most widely-used fertilizers). Next
come the chemical, machinery, seed companies and banks. All these links together
form “input” links.
In the middle of the chain is the
farmer who combines the inputs—energy,
seed, technology and capital with soil, rain
and sun to produce food.
Accepting the farmer’s outputs are the
grain companies, railways, cereal processors, packers, brewers, retailers and restaurants.
Almost every link in this chain, nearly
every sector, is dominated by between two
and 10 multi-billion-dollar multinational
corporations. The single significant exception to the pattern of extreme concentration outlined above is the farmer. In
Canada, that link is made up of over
270,000 relatively small family farms.
In 1998, gross revenues for all Canadian farmers together were $29 billion. In
sharp contrast, Philip Morris Inc., alone,
had revenues of $109 billion.
Consumers pay trillions for food. The
prices they pay increase each year. The
corporations that make, transport, package,
process and sell that food make billions in
profits. The corporations that make tractors, fertilizer, and pesticides make billions.
There is no shortage of money in the agrifood system, it is merely distributed poorly.
WHO
’S IN CONTROL
WHO’S
Cargill
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Products and Businesses
Barge Operations
Beef
Broilers
Cattle Feeding
Cocoa Trading
Coffee
Commodity & Financial Futures Brokerage
Cotton
Dry Corn Milling
Egg Products
Fats and Oils
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Feed
Ferrous Metals Trading
Fertilizer Distribution
Fertilizer Production
Financial Instrument
Trading
Flour Milling
Freight Operations/ Vessel
Chartering
Fruit Juices
Fruits and Vegetables
Grain
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Leasing
Malt
Molasses
Nongrain Feed Ingredients
Oilseeds
Other Commodities
Peanuts/Nuts
Petroleum
Pork
Poultry
Rice Milling
Rubber
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Salt
Seed
Steel Manufacturing
Steel Recycling
Steel Service Centers
Structured Finance
Sugar
Swine Production
Turkeys
Wet Corn Milling
Wire
Wool
www.oxfam.ca
* from the National Farmers Union Brief, “The Farm Crisis, EU Subsidies, and Agribusiness Market Power.” February 2000.
CONTENTS: FOOD DUMPING
Food Dumping
— Undermining Food Security
Rich countries subsidize agricultural production, produce
an excess and then to get rid of it, sell it in Third World
countries below market price (i.e. dump it) forcing Third
World producers out of business.
same product is considered ‘dumped’ if
For example….
Jamaican farmers first started giving
away their milk in 1998, then using it as
animal feed, and by 1999, were throwing it
away. They threw away more than half a
million litres of milk. Then farmers began
to slaughter their animals. This was happening because cheap milk and milk powder from the United States and the European Union was flooding the Jamaican
market.
At the time, hundreds of thousands of
dollars in aid, mostly through the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization,
were being sent to Jamaica to support the
development of their dairy industry. Not
only is this ironic, but, for every dollar
developing countries like Jamaica receive
in aid, they lose $14 dollars in potential
earnings because of dumping.
Dumping occurs when vast quantities
of a product are sold in a country for less
than what it costs to produce it. ‘Dumping’
undermines the economies of developing
countries because local producers are
unable to compete and sell their own
product as cheaply as the foreign import.
For example, if it is generally accepted
that it costs a Canadian farmer $2 to
produce a kilogram of product (costs for
feed, water, perhaps labour, transportation
to get the product to market), then that
Canada sells it in Jamaica for less than $2.
There are several reasons why a product can be sold cheaper than the cost of
production.
1) Some countries’ government, like the EU
and US, subsidize their farmers with cash
payments or special credit terms. In the
WTO Agreement on Agriculture, this is
referred to as domestic support. This
brings down the farmers’ cost of production and enables them to sell the product
for less than it really costs to produce it
yet still make a profit.
2) Often the exporting government, like the
U.S. and the E.U. will make a deal with an
exporting company that ships the products. Cargill for example, is a multinational corporation that is the world’s
largest grain shipper and trader, and has
also diversified into beef packing, coffee,
fertilizer production and distribution. The
exporting government pays an export
subsidy or gives tax exemptions to the
shipping company which covers the cost
of transportation. This means that the
final price of the product, when it reaches
the recipient country, doesn’t reflect the
transportation costs and is that much
cheaper.
3) Countries that do subsidize their farmers
often end up producing more than what
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CONTENTS:
FOOD DUMPING — CONTINUED
their domestic market needs. The excess gets shipped
The WTO and its precursor, the General Agreement
out of the country with little consideration for the
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) has never seriously dealt
price they get for it. In other words, it gets dumped.
with dumping of agricultural products. There is a
In the case of Jamaica, the EU has 4 million Euro general anti-dumping clause, but it defines dumping as
dollars in export subsidies to dump surplus milk on
export sales below the ‘normal’ price on the domestic
other markets. In fact, the EU relies most heavily on
market of the producing country, a figure difficult to
subsidies to back its exports—EU subsidies account
correctly calculate. The country which has been
for about 84 percent of the $7.6 billion used by all
‘dumped on’ also has to prove the actual damage to
exporters in 1998/99. In the 1998/99 year, the
their domestic production, also very difficult to prove.
European Communities reported spending USD$ 5,843
Thus the anti-dumping clause rarely gets used by
million on export subsidies to the WTO Agreement of
poorer countries.
Agriculture. The US spent $147 million. In compariThose who do use the anti-dumping clause are
son, Canada spent less than a million and Australia
the powerful countries like the US and EU who use it
spent $1 million.
to block access to their markets by products from
Dumping may not appear to be such a bad thing
developing countries and even Canada.
for a poor country—to access relatively
Dumping is a good example of
cheaper food for its people. But, in
how the operation and implementation
“Careless use of food aid
many cases, the poor are farmers whose
of global trade agreements favour
can have devastating efaccess to food depends on selling what
those who already have the economic
fects on developing counthey grow. Sixty percent of humanity
power —from richer farmers with new
tries. The famine relief aid
lives on less than $2 a day. Seventytechnologies and more land, to
provided
by
surplus
grain
five percent of poor people in the world
wealthier governments who can
from
the
US,
for
example,
live in rural communities. The real
subsidize their farmers, to
destroyed
the
indigenous
crisis occurs when they cannot sell
transnational corporations who make
millet market in Africa.”
their harvest due to competition with
a profit from shipping as the push for
“Food Security: A first step
subsidized farmers in wealthy countries.
increased trade sees more and more
toward more fair trade” World
Oxfam Canada believes the few
products being shipped across borders.
Vision, 2000. Wendy Phillips.
staple crops that poor countries rely on
for income and local consumption should
“[US] grains that are transbe protected from dumping. However, global free trade
ported to food-deficient countries tend
agreements place severe limits on countries’ ability to
to create more disruption—through disturprotect their staple crops against food dumping by
bances in local markets and displacement of
larger more wealthy countries. Poor countries can
farmers—than the benefits received. Finally, the unsusprotect themselves by charging a tariff on incoming
tainable methods of production for these grains result in
products that compete directly with their own crops.
excessive environmental damage to soil and water. ExYet, the WTO Agreement on Agriculture requires the
port agriculture is, in general, not assisting the US
elimination of all tariffs, to level the trade ‘playing
field.’ Developing countries cannot afford the expenfarmer nor feeding under-nourished populations, but
sive subsidy and domestic support programmes that
rather the grain companies that benefit from
developed countries use to promote trade, nor can
the movement and processing
most of them afford the other special safeguard measof these grains.”
ures and exemptions which the WTO allows.
“U.S. Endeavor to ‘Feed the World’, Implication for Farmer Income,
Food Security and the Environment,” Mark Muller, IATP
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS:
DUMPING AND DONATING
Dumping and Donating:
How Canadian food banks can contribute to an
unsustainable global food system.
F
ate need, food banks are not a solution to
hunger and poverty.
To meet the growing demand, food
banks have partnered with multinational
corporations such as Nestle, Unilever and
Philip Morris (the three largest food processors in the world). When these corporations have surpluses of foods, they donate
them to food banks for distribution. The
food bank-corporate dependency therefore
grows and further enshrines food banks in
the Canadian landscape. As Julia Bass,
Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Food Banks in 1997 comments,
“With the (social safety) net unravelling,
whether you eat or not may depend on
whether or not you live in a generous
community.”
(Canadian Grocer, 1997, “Partnerships for
Change: How Food Companies are Partnering with
Food Relief Agencies and Finding a Mutually
Beneficial Relationship.)
New Internationalist, No. 314, July
1999
ood is a basic human right. When
people do not have access to safe,
nutritious, adequate and affordable
food, their human rights are being violated.
With today’s corporate-driven food
system multinational food companies have
incredible power in the marketplace. They
can price food out of the reach of poor
people, build grocery stores that are inaccessible to families in inner cities without
transportation and essentially determine
who eats and who does not. With few
affordable alternatives to turn to and
increasing poverty and under- and unemployment, between 5 and 10 per cent of
Canadians use food banks every month.
Food banks, originally set up as an
emergency response to local hunger, have
developed into permanent institutions
which are being used more and more across
the country. While addressing an immedi-
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS: DUMPING AND DONATING: — CONTINUED
In some Canadian provinces, such as British
Columbia, Quebec, Ontario and Newfoundland and
Labrador, governments have paved the way for the food
bank-corporate partnership through the passage of
legislation such as the ‘Good Samaritan Act’. These
acts enable the food industry to ‘dump’ substandard
and out-of-date product into food banks with no legal
liability for any personal harm that results from consumption of these products. Not only do these donations portray the industry as ‘socially responsible’, they
frequently save the corporations tippage fees associated with disposing of their product in landfill sites.
The Canadian Association of Food Banks recently
passed a resolution to address the causes of hunger as
well as to provide food aid. In many communities food
banks have already been integrated into the community services system, with community kitchens, good
food boxes, and community buying. It is important
that food banks not only fill the emergency needs of
hungry people but look at stopping that need. The
Daily Bread, Canada’s largest food bank in Toronto, has
been doing research on the reasons why people use
food banks and it is available on their web site,
www.dailybread.ca.
Before exploring the individual reasons why
people are going hungry in Canada, attention needs to
be focussed on the consolidation of the corporate food
system that considers food a profitable commodity
rather than a basic human right.
At the 1996 World Food Summit in Rome, world
leaders, including Canadians, signed a declaration to
work towards food security. According to the declaration’s definition, “Food security exists when all people
at all times have physical and economic access to
sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their
dietary needs and food preferences for an active and
healthy life.”
By continuing to ignore the Rome declaration’s
call for the creation of the ‘political, social and economic environment for the eradication of poverty’, the
Canadian government is failing not only low income
food bank users but all Canadians. Food security is a
basic human right that is indicative of the health and
happiness of a nation. Food distribution should not be
about dumping or donating, but should be about
ensuring the availability, access, adequacy and acceptability of good food for all and the agency of people to
play a part in developing and implementing this
system.
Five companies control food retailing in Canada:
1. Weston/ Loblaws/
Westfair: Superstore,
Loblaws, Loeb, Provigo,
IGA, SuperValu, Lucky
Dollar, Extra Foods, The
Real Canadian Wholesale
Club, Your Independent
Grocer, No Frills, ValuMart, etc.
2 . Safeway
3. Metro-Richelieu
4. Empire/Sobeys
5. Pattison/Overwaitea
(Research by the National Farmers Union, “The Farm Crisis, EU Subsidies, and Agribusiness Market Power, February 2000.)
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS:
WHERE IS IT FAIR?
Where is it FFair?
air?
F
artisans at better prices, and help to
strengthen their organizations and market
their produce directly through their own
shops and catalogues. ATO’s recognize the
importance consumers play in improving
the situation for producers.
An example of an ATO is TransFair
Canada (TFC). It is the only third party
independent fair trade certification organization in Canada. It is a non-profit organization whose members include major
Canadian churches, trade unions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as
Oxfam Canada. TFC is the Canadian affiliate
of Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO). There are 17 countries that
participate under FLO criteria.
Fair trade certifies that small farmers
are getting a fair price, credit at reasonable
rates of interest and longer-term sales
contracts. It also gives consumers a third
party assurance that the product is certi-
New Internationalist, No. 303, July 1998
armers/producers in developing countries receive (on average) only 10 per
cent of the price we pay for coffee and
only 4 per cent of the price we pay for
chocolate.
BUT…..
Fair trade empowers producers. It
guarantees them a fair return on their
products. It also provides individuals the
opportunity of becoming socially responsible consumers. With fair trade, consumers
pay a more ‘realistic’ price, reflecting the
actual cost of production. Fair trade
acknowledges the producers right to meet
her/his basic needs as well as guaranteeing
a commitment to environmental
sustainability.
Alternative Trading Organizations
(ATO) were set up over 40 years ago to offer
consumers the opportunity to buy products
which were bought on the principles of fair
trade. ATOs buy directly from farmers and
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS:
WHERE IS IT FAIR? — CONTINUED
fied as fair trade. This does not mean
that non-certified products are not fairly
traded. Some products do not have a
certification system or just have not
gone through the process of an independent third party evaluation.
TransFair Canada focuses its
TransFair logo on coffee, the second
most-traded product in the world after
oil. Over 300 coffee co-ops are now on
FLO’s international register of producers
in Central America, South America,
Africa and Asia.
In Canada right now, coffee and tea
are fair trade certified by Transfair and in
the next several months, cocoa and other
products such as hot chocolate, chocolate bars and sugar will also be certified.
Other fair trade food products
available internationally through FLO are
orange juice, honey, and bananas. There
is also expanding interest in rice, flowers,
and several other possibilities are presently in the works.
In response to consumer activism
the demand for fair trade products is
growing rapidly, and even corporations
are taking it up, debating codes of
conduct, standards, labels, monitoring
and other mechanisms to demonstrate
corporate social responsibility.
Fairtrade organizations want ethical
consumers to have more choice. When
Canadians buying products see the fair
trade label, they know they’re improving
life for producers, their families and
communities, as well as contributing to
environmental sustainability.
FAIR
AIR TRADE CERTIFIED
CERTIFIÉ ÉQUITABLE
ÉQUIT
Alternative Trading
Organizations in Canada
and Globally
Equal Exchange: www.equalexchange.com
European Fair Trade Association:
www.eftafairtrade.org
Fairtrade Federation:
www.fairtradefederation.org
International Federation for Alternative
Trade: www.ifat.org
La Siembra Co-operative:
www.lasiembra.com
Oxfam G.B. — fair trade shopping on-line:
http://store1.europe.yahoo.com/oxfam-uk/
Oxfam Australia — Community Aid
Abroad: www.caa.org.au
People Link: www.peoplelink.org
SERRV: www.serrv.org
Ten Thousand Villages:
www.tenthousandvillages.ca
Transfair Canada: http://www.transfair.ca
(Source: http://www.transfair.ca/fairtrade/ato.html)
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS: COFFEE – WHO WINS? WHO LOSES?
Coffee – Who Wins? Who Loses?
Did You Know . . .
New Internationalist, No. 159, May 1986
• Much of the world’s coffee, tea, cocoa and sugar, foods that we consume every
day, are grown by farmers in the developing world.
• Coffee is one of the most highly traded commodities in the world, involving 25
million producers in more than 70 countries.
• Approximately 15 million coffee producers are small farmers.
• 70% of the coffee market is controlled by just four multinational corporations
—Philip Morris (Kraft), Nestle, Proctor & Gamble, and Sara Lee.
• Less than 10% of what consumers pay for coffee reaches the farmer who grows
the beans.
Many important changes have
taken place in the global economy
since the 1980’s. Most significant
have been the reduction of barriers to
trade and foreign investment and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
imposed “restructuring” of national
economic policies in the South. The
coffee trade, like that of most primary
commodities exports, has been affected by these changes.
Throughout the 1980’s an International Coffee Agreement between
producer and consuming countries
help regulate the volume of coffee
exports. This helped maintain some
stability in revenues for African and
Latin American producing countries.
But in 1989 US negotiators were
unable to change, in their favor, the
quota regime of the International
Agreement. The Agreement was not
renewed and prices for raw coffee
plummeted. Coffee prices have been
highly volatile ever since.
Since the demise of the International Coffee Agreement producer
countries have been involved in a race to
the bottom competition. Since 1990 coffee
production has increased by 15 per cent.
Of course, world demand for coffee has not
increased to the same degree as world
supply. In the past ten years coffee production has increased at twice the rate of
consumption. This has led to a massive
oversupply of coffee beans and sinking
prices.
The deregulation of the coffee markets
has resulted in economic and social hardship for poor farmers and countries. The
prices small farmers receive for each kilo of
coffee beans can vary wildly:
“What has happened to the price of
coffee is a disaster. Years back, when
coffee prices were good, we could afford to send our children to school.
Now we are taking our children out of
school because we cannot afford the
fees. How can we send our children to
school when we cannot afford to feed
them well?”
Small coffee farmer in Uru District of Tanzania
(Africa)
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS: COFFEE – WHO WINS? WHO LOSES? — CONTINUED
Coffee plays an essential role in the
lives of poor people in many developing
countries. It is estimated that there are
about 25 million producers of the crop,
which is often the main—sometimes the
only—source of cash income for a household. Revenues from coffee are used to buy
food items that cannot be produced on the
farm, to pay for school fees and health
care, and to meet other cash expenses,
such as the purchase of agricultural inputs.
Millions of vulnerable farmers and
laborers involved in coffee production,
have had their livelihood devastated by a
collapse in international prices. Most small
coffee farmers grow their crop on family
land. Having little capacity to export their
product and compete in the global market,
for lack of funds and resources, most sell
their crops to mid-level traders (commonly
called “coyotes” in Central America). These
coyotes have a tight hold on their territories and under the current system of trade,
very little of what consumers pay for
coffee, often less than 10%, actually
reaches the farmer. Without adequate
income, these families are unable to obtain
adequate food, water, health care or education—and often end up losing their land.
As well, many farmers have been forced to
sell assets, such as cattle, and cut down on
essential expenses by taking their children
out of school or even reducing food consumption.
The price slump has created some
winners. The multinational corporation
and ‘designer coffee’ retailers are posting
record profits as the price of their main raw
material slumps. Over the past three years,
the export price of coffee as a proportion of
the retail price has fallen by half, to less
than 7%. This is good news for some. As a
recent Nestle document on its coffeetrading performance states: “trading profits
increased … and margins improved thanks
to favorable commodity prices”. The bad
news is that corporate gain is consigning
some of the world’s poorest and most
vulnerable people to extreme poverty.
“The coffee market cannot sacrifice millions of poor farmers—Nobody should
forget that it is precisely these poor
farmers who, with their hard work,
have fostered not only the growth of
their sector, but the wealth of the
world coffee industry.”
Jorge Cardenas, President of Colombia’s National
Coffee Growers’ Federation
Instead of seeking to generate windfall profits by exploiting small farmers, the
corporate sector, Nestle, Philip Morris and
others, should acknowledge its responsibility to help facilitate the development of a
more equitable trading environment. These
multinationals must adopt fair and ethical
practices in production, purchasing,
processing and distribution.
This page has been in part provided by the
Canadian Council for International Cooperation’s
(CCIC) In Common Program:
www.incommon.web.net
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS: POISONED YOUTH
P oisoned YYouth
outh
LDS
4-YEAR-O
VALLEY
LS
FOOTHIL
Children’s brains are
damaged by chemical
farming
In Mexico, more evidence has been
found that the heavy use of agricultural
pesticides has dramatically impaired development of pre-school children (see NI 323
on Pesticides). Elizabeth Guillette, a University of Arizona medical anthropologist,
studied 50 children and their families
living in the Yaqui Valley lowlands and
highlands of Sonora, Mexico. In the intensely farmed lowlands, farmers apply
pesticides 45 times per crop cycle and they
grow one or two crops per year. Pesticides
using compounds such as lindane and
endrin, which are banned in the US, are
frequently used. Researchers from the
Technological Institute of Sonora found
that lowland children were born with
detectable concentrations of many pesticides in their blood and were further
exposed through drinking breast milk.
The highland families live more
traditional lives, rejecting the use of pesticides and modern agricultural practices.
Their only major exposure to pesticides
comes from government spraying of DDT to
control malaria.
By studying the lowland and highland
groups of children who share the same
gene pool, Guillette was able to assess the
developmental differences between groups.
Fifty children from both regions were given
straightforward motor and cognitive tests
55
54
55
nths
o
54
m
s
th
s mon
th
n
o
m
s
male
month
emale
fe
ale
m
le
a
m
e
fe
5-YEAR-O
LDS
FOOTHILL
S
VALLEY
60
71
71
months m
71
onths month
s mon
female
ths
male
female
male
to perform. Guillette had anticipated the
differences between the two groups would
be subtle but instead she was shocked. The
valley children demonstrated less stamina,
hand-eye co-ordination and short-term
memory. The most striking difference was
in the figures the children drew (see picture above). Most of the pictures the highland children drew looked like recognizable
people but the drawings by the lowlanders
were merely scribbles.
Guillette says her findings give credence to reports that children growing up
in areas with high levels of pesticide use
have impaired learning and physical skills.
The adverse effect of pesticides on human
development is widespread, she says: ‘I
don’t think the kids’ exposures are either
more or less than might occur in other
agricultural areas—even in developed
countries.’
(Barbara Salgado— New Internationalist 326,
August 2000)
www.oxfam.ca
CONTENTS: CASE STUDY — TANZANIA
Case Study
Tanzania: Coffee-farming families can no longer afford
to send their children to school
I
n the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania,
where 1.4 million people live, coffee is
the main cash crop cultivated by small
farmers. Kilimanjaro used to be one of the
better off regions in the country. Its social
indicators reflect the positive impact of the
coffee boom, with literacy reaching 95%
and a higher than average nutritional
status in the rural areas. The incidence
and severity of poverty are much lower
than the national average.
But this success story is now under
threat. Farm-gate prices have fallen by half
in two years (down to 27 US cents/lb) and
households repeatedly stress how the
decline of the coffee economy has intensified poverty and increased vulnerability.
The coffee crisis has led to a reduction
in school enrollment among coffee-farming
communities. The average annual cost of
sending a single child to school in the area
is over $10 US, and with most families
having four or five children, the cash
demands of education impose considerable
hardship.
Coffee — Winners and LLosers:
osers:
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In 1997
In February 2001
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Starbucks
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world coffee sales
Nestle reported a
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posted
a
reached
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rise in profits of
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increase
in
$43 billion (U.S.)
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, with the
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profits in the
Developing countries
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beverage sector
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first quarter of
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that produced the
performing
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coffee received less
2001.
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strongly.
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than one third
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Source: “Bitter Coffee: How the Poor are
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of this revenue.
Paying for the Slump in Coffee Prices.”
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Oxfam Great Britain (2001)
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41%
20%
Tatu Museyni, a 37-year old widow, is
a small coffee farmer. She lives with her
six children on a farm of less than one acre
in a mud hut without running water or
electricity. She struggles to give an education to her children. “Education is very
important. It will help my children to have
a better life. That is why I struggle so hard
to find the money they need to go to
school.” But this year her entire coffee
crop has generated less than $15 US. She
had planned to send her third child, Isaiah,
aged nine, to primary school, but this is no
longer an option. “He will have to stay at
home because I could not get enough for
the coffee. Just to keep the other two in
school I would have to sell my pig.” Tatu
plans to sell some of her bananas to raise
cash, although she is worried that her
children’s nutrition will suffer. She will
also try to find employment on other farms
(earning about $1 US) a day) as well as
collect and sell grass as cattle feed.
This illustrates how falling coffee
prices can have the twin effect of undermining household food security and adding
to the already extreme labor burden on
women. Like other women interviewed,
Tatu expressed fears of being unable to
meet the costs of sickness episodes, especially if any of her children fall ill with
pneumonia, malaria, or diarrhoea during
the rainy season.
Source: Research carried out by Maarifa and
Oxfam GB in December 2000 in Kilimanjaro, taken
Maarifa (2001) ‘Cost-sharing in Education: A Case
Study of Education in Kilimanjaro’.
www.oxfam.ca
PROJECT PROFILES:
HUNDEE
HUNDEE – Oromiya, Ethiopia
H
Photo credit: Andrea Lindores
undee, which means ‘root,’ in
Oromiffa, is a local community
development organization in Ethiopia. Started in 1995, Hundee’s programmes
are focused in the Oromiya Region, where
high illiteracy rates, poor infrastructure,
and landlessness are common due to a
history of political and ethnic discrimination. Hundee developed a co-operative of
eight peasant farmers’ associations in the
region who had been historically
marginalized by the former Ethiopian
government for political and ethnic reasons.
Hundee’s work integrates three programme activities: credit and savings,
environmental rehabilitation and protection, and civic education. Priority is given
to working with female-headed households
and very poor landless families as the first
Inside the grain storage facilites.
step in its goal of mobilizing citizens to
participate in increasing self-sufficiency
in food production.
The goal of the credit and savings
programme is to generate basic working
capital while increasing poor people’s
ability to access the money and manage it
themselves. It also teaches and exercises
business principles, such as supply and
demand and financial training, to the 100
women and 100 poor households who
participate in the programme.
One concrete way this is achieved is
through the development of cereal grain
bank associations. In addition to providing a means of income generation, they
include activities related to Environmental rehabilitation and protection and civic
education.
The importance of the cereal
grain banks is to ensure households have access to grain for
eating between harvest times,
when communities often face
severe food shortages. The
‘hungry months,’ as Hundee
Director Ato Zegeye Asfaw calls
them, are June through to
September. The development of
the grain banks was done in a
way that involved the communities and taught them how to
manage and maintain the bank
according to their own needs.
The two cereal grain banks help
to organize 600 poor households.
Revolving funds are used to
www.oxfam.ca
PROJECT PROFILES:
HUNDEE — CONTINUED
purchase grains during the harvest
season when prices are low.
Grain stores with a capacity of
100 tons of grains are built for
each bank. The cereal grain is
sold to members as well as nonmembers during the food shortage months with the benefits
going to the association to pay
back the loan. Training is also being
provided to enhance members’ understanding of the philosophy behind the cereal
bank association and its operational procedures. In the first phase of the Cereal
Banks Association project, 237 registered
farmers successfully purchased and stocked
grain during times of plenty and sold it
during periods of scarcity. This allowed
farmers to participate in the process of
price regulation at the local level for the
‘commodity’. Also, by stocking surplus
grain and selling it when there was a
scarcity, the farmers supplied food to their
communities that would have been traditionally hunger stricken.
One of the long-term goals of the
project is to broaden the accessibility of
this kind of project and build a significant
influence on market prices by helping
farmers unite and question the basis of
high government taxation on produce.
Currently, the regional government is
compelled to raise 90 per-cent of its rev-
enues through taxation on farm produce.
This places a great deal of burden on the
farmers, and often forces them to sell their
produce for low prices in order to raise
money to pay taxes. Another problem is
the deadline for tax payment which is just
after harvest, so most farmers pay all they
earn in taxes and are left with very little to
reinvest in agricultural inputs for the
following year.
By increasing the number of farmers
participating in cereal banks and learning
about their regional and national economic
structures, Hundee hopes to make changes
to the agricultural system that will improve
people’s livelihoods in the long term.
www.oxfam.ca
PROJECT PROFILES: DABANE TRUST
Dabane TTrust
rust — Zimbabwe
T
HE NEW MILLENNIUM has so far been
one of ill fate for the Southern
African nation of Zimbabwe, now
sliding into “poorest nations of the world”
status. Both unemployment and civil unrest
are escalating at an alarming rate. Add to
this years of low rainfall interspersed with
severe droughts, destruction of property
and crops caused by Cyclone Eline last year,
and what results is a country faced with a
food crisis. Continued lack of water is
considered the main factor inhibiting the
development of a sustainable food production base in Zimbabwe.
Dabane Trust evolved from the need to
improve the water and food security systems of rural people. The organization
works in two regions: on the border with
Zambia, in an area called Binga; and in an
area called Matobo, on the border of Botswana. Dabane works with approximately
20 - 25 communities that average about six
households per community. The organization provides community organizers who
work and live in the communities, and act
as liaisons between the communities and
Dabane.
The programme is committed to the
establishment of long term, sustainable
projects. There is a high level of community participation that results from the
trust and understanding established between community members and Dabane
Trust workers. Together they assess the
communities’ needs and map out a process
that allows them to reach their community
goals. Community members are empowered
through their involvement in this planning
and decision making process.
One of the key aspects of Dabane’s
work over the past several years has been
the development of family and community
gardens. Community members participate
and acquire expertise in all aspects of
garden development, from planning, organizing and construction through to the
marketing of garden produce. The organization assists communities in establishing
www.oxfam.ca
PROJECT PROFILES: DABANE TRUST — CONTINUED
irrigated, family gardens through using
techniques such as dam-building, waterharvesting, and an indigenous water extraction technique called sand-abstraction.
As a part of its food preservation and
processing work, the programme encourages community members to lease, service
and maintain grain dehulling and grinding
mill units. This provides the communities
with a source of flour for local use as well
as income through sales at nearby markets.
Emphasis is also placed on growing and
storage of indigenous, drought-tolerant
grains. Research is also being undertaken
on different methods of crop drying.
Sound conservation practices are promoted
in all phases of the programme.
The family and community gardens
provide women, the main users of the
gardens, with independence, income,
increased nutrition for themselves and
their families, and increased confidence to
manage their own affairs.
Dabane Trust maintains a strong focus
on social development. Its work encour-
ages cohesion and a strong group structure
within the community, while developing
appropriate practical training and business
management skills among community
members. This ensures the viability and
sustainability of local resources, as well as
lasting results for the community. In the
face of drought, poverty and unrest,
Dabane Trust is making a positive and
enduring contribution to Zimbabwe’s rural
communities
Typically, the programme will operate
for three years within a community until
the group becomes independent and no
longer requires Dabane’s aid or input.
Coffee travels the globe.
The origin of coffee can be traced to Ethiopia in Africa around the time 800 A.D.. However it was
in Arabia, around 1000 A.D., where roasted beans were first brewed. Eventually coffee was introduced to
India, Europe and, in the 1700s, to Latin America.
Most of the coffee we drink today is produced in countries such as
Brazil and Colombia. Yet the spread of coffee continues. In 1990 Vietnam was an insignificant exporter of coffee. However with financial
assistance from the World Bank and other agencies, things changed
dramatically. Today Vietnam is the world’s second largest exporter
of coffee.
Overall coffee production has increased 15 per cent since 1990.
This has been accompanied with a decrease in the price for the crop.
For the small coffee farmer and those countries that rely on coffee
exports for their hard currency this has had devastating consequences.
www.oxfam.ca
QUIZZES AND EXERCISES:
A WORLD IN JEOPARDY GAME
AW
orld in Jeopardy Game
World
The Game and The Rules
STEP 1 — MODERATOR’S ROLE
•
•
•
•
sets up transparency and overhead.
selects three judges, and one scorekeeper.
divides the class into 3 teams.
demonstrates to the group, how to correctly respond.
SAMPLE: Q:\ “Globally over 500,000 people
are suffering from this disease.”
A:\ “What is AIDS?”
• if no one answers in 20 seconds, the moderator allows
2 minutes for groups to consult.
WHY PLAY THIS GAME/RATIONALE
‘A World in Jeopardy’ is organized as
a participatory way of learning about
some of the complexities of the
food system and related issues.
We have provided one version of how
to play the game — the class may,
however, find new ways of playing
the game (for those motivated enough,
the game can even be adapted for
a public fundraising exercise).
STEP 2 — ROLE OF PARTICIPANTS
• each member of a team must have a number (eg. 1 8), and answer questions consecutively (ie. all the
“1’s” from each team, then all the “2’s”...etc.).
• to answer a question, a participant must “buzz-in” first
by yelling “JEOPARDY!”.
• If no one answers, teams must work together to come
up with an answer.
STEP 3 — ROLE OF JUDGES AND SCOREKEEPER
• ¨JUDGES determine who responded first, and what is a
correct answer.
• ¨the SCOREKEEPER keeps a tally of team score on the
blackboard.
SCORING
• if teams give a correct answer, the amount for that
question (100 - 500) is added to the score. If the
answer is incorrect the amount is subtracted.
• the team with the highest score at the end of the game
wins.
A World In Jeopardy
T
he title “A World in Jeopardy”
refers to a world where 800
million people are chronically
undernourished, and millions more
are denied their basic rights to
shelter, clean water, employment,
and a say in their future. Without
a fundamental reversal of the way
we use and share our resources,
the lives of billions of people will
enter this World in Jeopardy.
Playing “A World in Jeopardy”
will hopefully allow you to learn
more about the realities of poverty
and hunger in the world today.
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A WORLD
JEOPARDY
FoodIN
Quiz
2001
AGRICULTURE
AND TRADE
THE FTAA
Latin America
produces this
percent of the
world's bananas.
This part of the
Canadian economy
has returned to
Depression era
levels.
In 1998, Cargill,
The process that
integrates world
markets for goods,
services and finance.
This company
created a seed that
prevents plants
from reproducing.
Coffee is the
second to this most
traded International
product.
People from these
two continents are
the world's biggest
banana consumers.
Philip Morris, and
Nestle made over
$200 billion dollars
in revenue while the
total Canadian gross
farm revenues were
only this much.
Corporations that
cross national
boundaries in their
fields of operation
(production,
financing or sales).
A term for the
monopolisation of
plant genetic
resources and rights
to their production
and marketing.
The U.N. has stated
that getting enough
to eat, equal
opportunities, a
livelihood, and a say
in the future are
these.
There are this many
coffee coops on the
Fair Trade Labeling
Organisations
international (FLO)
register.
One of the five
companies which
have the largest
share in the world
production of
bananas.
Canada, the E.U.,
U.S., Argentina, and
Australia account for
87% percent of this
mono crop
production.
The FTAA, which will
incorporate countries
from Latin America
(except Cuba), is an
expansion of this
older trading
agreement.
This Canadian city
is one of the
leading centres of
biotechnology.
4
0
0
When people do not
have access to safe,
nutritious and
culturally acceptable
food, they suffer
from this.
This form of 'trade'
deals directly with
democratically run
cooperatives, gives
farmers a fair price,
offers affordable credit,
and establishes long
term relationships
90% of this part of the
Caribbean ecosystem
is dead, largely as a
result of the pesticide
runoff into streams and
rivers from banana
plantations.
Most aspects of food What FTAA
production, such as stands for.
fertilizers, seeds, and
processing, are
controlled by this
many or fewer
corporations.
5
0
0
This nonprofit
company is working
for the fairer trade
of products in
global markets.
For every dollar
spent on bananas,
this much goes to
the producer.
The United Nations
and the Food and
Agriculture
Organization set
aside October 16th
each year to
recognize this.
TRADE AND
HUNGER
COFFEE
Over a billion people
in the world live in
this condition.
This continent is
the world's largest
coffee producer.
Community
Gardens, food
cooperatives, and
good food boxes
are some small
scale initiatives that
increase this locally.
3
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
As well as coffee,
these two
beverages are
fairly traded.
Note to Presenter:
Copy to transparency
BANANAS
DEBT
r
Food Fo
t
Though
This type of trade
allows companies
to operate without
taxes or tariffs.
GMO’s
The variety of
genes and crops
essential in
ensuring world
food security and
sovereignty.
One of four mass
produced crops
that are Roundup
Ready.
“If every person in China ate one more chicken a year,
it would require the entire soybean production of the
State of Illinois to feed those chickens.“
QUIZZES AND EXERCISES
THE QUESTIONS OF FOOD
The Questions of Food
True or False Questions
1. People are hungry because the world does not
produce enough food.
2. Food and a livelihood are basic human rights.
3. Almost 10% of people in the developing world do
not have access to clean water.
4. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism.
5. For a $3.03 box of cornflakes, the farmer who grows
the corn gets ten cents.
6. TransFair Canada is the only third party independent
fair trade certification organization in Canada.
7. The number of people in the developing world who
are undernourished continues to grow each year.
8. Wheat and tobacco are Canadian cash crops grown
for export.
9. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 80 million people are
malnourished.
10. The promotion of cash cropping on a global scale
has contributed to soil erosion, pollution of water
tables by fertilizers and pesticides, and deforestation.
11. Between 5 and 10 % of Canadians use food banks
each month.
12. In 1995, Third world debt reached $200 billion.
13. In the developing world, nearly 60% of people
work in agriculture.
14. Equador exports more bananas than any other
country.
15. Lower food prices are always good for developing
nations.
16. Nestle, Unilever, and Philip Morris are the three
largest food processors in the world
17. Forty percent of humanity relies on less than $2 a
day.
18. Pesticides kill thousands of workers every year.
19. Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte control nearly 70%
of world trade in bananas.
20. Canada imports more coffee than any other country.
Human Rights and Development
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES: ANSWERS
Answers to:
A World in Jeopardy
Trade and Hunger
Bananas
The FTAA
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
1.
2.
4.
5.
What is poverty?
What is food security?
What are basic human
rights?
What is food insecurity?
What is FairTrade Labelling Organisations International?
3.
4.
5.
What is 83%?
What are Europe and
North America?
What are Chiquita, Dole,
Delmonte, Fyffes, or
Noboa?
What are coral reefs?
What is 5 cents?
Coffee
Agriculture and Trade
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is South America?
What is oil?
What is 300?
What is Fair Trade?
What are tea and orange
juice?
What are farm incomes?
What is $29 billion?
What is wheat?
What is 5?
What is World Food Day?
3.
4.
5.
What is globalisation?
What are Multi-national (Transnational)
corporations?
What is NAFTA (The North American Free
Trade Agreement)? The agreement came
into affect in 1994. The FTAA is scheduled
to come into affect 2004.
What is Free Trade Area of the Americas?
What is Free Trade?
GMO´s
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What
What
What
What
What
is Monsanto?
is Biopiracy?
is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan?
is Bio-diversity?
are soybean, corn, canola, or cotton?
THE QUESTIONS OF FOOD
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
False. The world does produce enough
food to feed every person, every day.
True
False. In fact, one third of people in the
developing world have no access to clean
water.
True
True
True
False. The number is reducing at a rate of
about 8 million a year. However, with
almost 800 million people in the developing world without enough to eat, the rate
of reduction is too slow.
True
False. In fact, the FAO reports that 800
million people are malnourished.
10. True.
11. True.
12. False. In 1995, third world debt
reached $200 trillion.
13. True
15. False. Sometimes, lower food prices
simply put farmers out of business.
16. True
17. False. 60% lives on less than $2 a day.
18. True. Pesticides have been shown to be
responsible for the deaths of over
200,000 workers annually.
19. True
20. False. The United States imports the
most coffee.
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES: FROM MATHEMATICS TO LITERATURE
From Mathematics to Literature
Mathematics
1. Out of the 4.4 billion people living in developing
countries, 3/5 lack access to basic sanitation, 1/3 have
no access to clean water, 1/4 do not have adequate
housing, 1/5 do not have access to modern health
services, 1/5 do not attend school to grade five and 1/
5 do not have enough dietary energy and protein. How
many people do not have each of these resources and
services?
2. Almost 800 million people in the developing world do
not have enough to eat, however this number is reducing by about 8 million per year. A goal was set at the
World Food Summit in 1996 to reduce the number of
undernourished people to 400 million by the year 2015.
Will the goal be reached?
3. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 28 countries lost ground in the
fight to reduce the number of undernourished people,
while 10 countries made progress. Latin America and
the Caribbean saw a 2:1 ratio as 16 countries lost
ground and 8 made progress. In Asia, 10 countries
made progress while 8 lost ground. What is the overall
ratio of countries who lost ground in reducing the
number of undernourished people to countries who
made progress?
4. Globally, over 1.3 billion people live in absolute poverty, that’s 25% of the world’s population. Every 60
seconds, 47 people join the already enormous number.
Draw a graph representing the increase of the number
of people living in poverty vs. time, over ten minutes.
5. 358 people have the same net worth as the bottom
45% (2.3 billion people).
Questions
Economy
1. Many developing countries have agricultural
economies, yet there is great hunger and malnutrition. What is the principal reason for this?
a. crop failure due to natural disasters
b. exportation of cash crops
c. the unequal distribution of wealth
d. wars and civil unrest
2. Which country gives the greatest percentage of
their gross domestic product (GDP) to aid developing countries?
a. United States
b. Denmark
c. Russia
d. Saudi Arabia
3. Food has always been a commodity to be bought
and sold for profit.
a. True
b. False
4. The world now produces enough food to feed
every man, woman and child by North American
Standards.
a. True
b. False
5. In 1995, the debt of developing countries reached
$200 billion.
a. True
b. False
a. True
b. False
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES:
FROM MATHEMATICS TO LITERATURE — CONTINUED
Questions
contin ued
Literature
Poem:
Line Wait — taken from the Coalition for Global Solidarity
and Social Development
1
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Wait and you will see what we have promised you
As your fields dry up
Your cattle dies
And when you have nothing left
And when your world is broken around you
Wait.
Wait...as your children grow hungry
As your family starves
And their cries, the cries of the forgotten, the disappeared, haunt you in your dreams
And when they take from you what you have worked
for
And when the dreams of your future, and the memory
of your past, grind into ashes
Wait.
Wait...as the life slips from your fingers
As your friends and family
Disappear into the wind
And when they remove you from your land
And you are left without a home
Wait.
Wait...as you see the earth suffering
The rivers run dry
The soil turning to desert
Wait...as blood covers the land
The blood of the animals,
and people we have slaughtered
Wait...until there is nothing left
Until everything has been taken from you
And everything is broken
Wait...
Keep waiting...
Just a little more...
And if you begin to doubt...
Don’t worry.
Wait.
And modernity
Progress, will bring all that we have promised you.
Even if there is no one
nothing
left to enjoy it
Questions:
1. Using examples of imagery in the poem,
what are some causes of hunger?
2. What are the direct effects of poverty on
the people who experience it?
3. Relate the title to the theme of the poem.
4. Dreams can often carry with them messages or lessons about life. In line 9, the
writer makes reference to dreams and their
ability to haunt. Discuss the emotional
impact that hunger can have on humans.
5. How are hope and expectancy effective to
the poem?
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES:
FROM MATHEMATICS TO LITERATURE — CONTINUED
Questions
con tinued
FFrrench
ench
1. En 1948, les Nations Unies ont
produit un document appelé la
Déclaration Universelle des
Droits de l’Homme. Elle énonce
les droites qui devraient être
accordées à tous les êtres
humains; les dix droits
fondamentaux sont asse’à
manger, l’eau propre, une
maison, santé, éducation, une
vie, un environnement sûr,
protection contre la violence,
égalite des chances et une
parole dans leur futur. Écrivez
une explication de breif,
associant toute la ces derniers
à la faim du monde.
2. a) Les hommes sont
principalement responsables
d’obtenir la nourriture à nos
tables.
Vrai
Faux
b) Comment la faim avec des
femmes est-elle différente de la
faim avec les hommes? Quels
documents, des conventions ou
des jours speciaux ont été
écrits l’égalité de support entre
les hommes et les femmes, dans
tous les aspects de la vie?
3. La révolution verte est le terme
utilisé pour le développement
dans les années 70 de nouvelles
variétés de hauts riz de
rendement, maïs de blé et sorgho.
Cette production non seulement
considérablement accrue de
nourriture par hectare, mais
également raccourci la période de
la croissance, laissant de ce fait
un plus de cycle de croissance par
an. Cependant, la révolution verte
apportée avec elle plus de
chômage, plus d’abandon de terre
par les pauvres et de plus affamé.
4. Selon à l’Organisation de
Nourriture et d’Agriculture des
Nations Unies (la ONA), 80
millions de personnes sont
sous-alimenté.
Vrai
Faux
5. Dette — la pauvreté induite
fait exploiter des personnes
dans les pays en voie de
développement ces derniers de
la voie la plus profitable et
moindre la plus soutenable
Vrai
Faux
Pourquoi?
a. Les techniques sophistiquées
d’irrigation exigées par
révolution verte que les pauvres
ne pourraient pas payer
b. À l’achat des graines, de
l’engrais et des pesticides
spéciaux ont fait entrer dans la
dette et détruire finalement de
pauvres fermiers leur nourriture
en surplus de la terre
c. Ont signifié que les prix sont
descendus. Les pauvres fermiers
n’achetant pas dans la
révolution verte ne pourraient
pas concurrencer les grandes
compagnies
d. Certains pays, comme le Brésil,
les Philippines et en Indonésie,
le gouvernement simplement a
succédé toutes les fermes de
petit de fermiers
e. De ce qui précède
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES:
FROM MATHEMATICS TO LITERATURE — CONTINUED
Questions
con tinued
Biology
1. A lack of this vitamin in their diet causes blindness in
a quarter of a million children each year.
2. Hunger is defined as a condition in which people do
not get enough food to provide the nutrients they
need for fully productive, active, healthy lives. What
are these six main nutrients?
Glo
Global
bal Issu
Issues
1. In 1948, the United Nations produced a document
called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It
states the rights that should be granted to all human
beings; the ten basic rights are enough to eat, clean
water, a home, health care, education, a livelihood, a
safe environment, protection from violence, equality of
opportunity and a say in their future. With a brief
explanation, relate all of these rights to world hunger.
2. a) Men are primarily responsible for getting food to
our tables
True
False
b) How does hunger affect women differently than
men? What documents have been written that support
equality between men and women, in all aspects of
life?
3. The Green Revolution is the term used for the development in the 1970’s of new varieties of high yield rice,
wheat, corn and sorghum. This not only considerably
increased food production per hectare, but also shortened the period of growth, thereby allowing one more
growth cycle per year. Yet, the Green Revolution
brought with it more unemployment, more abandon-
3. Only one type of life form can make its own food.
What type of life is this?
a. Bacteria
c. Plant
b. Virus
d. Animal
4. Today, human kind consumes 40% of plant growth
each year, with 60% going to all other species.
a. True
b. False
5. Vitamin A, iron and iodine are examples of micro
nutrients.
a. True
b. False
ment of land by the poor and more hungry. Why?
a. The Green Revolution required sophisticated
irrigation techniques which the poor could not
pay for
b. The purchase of special seeds, fertilizer and
pesticides caused poor farmers to go into debt
and finally lose their land
c. Surplus food meant that the prices went down.
Poor farmers not buying into the Green Revolution could not compete with large companies
d. In certain countries, such as Brazil, the Philippines and Indonesia, the government simply
expropriated or took over the farms of small
farmers
e. All of the above
4. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 800 million people are
malnourished.
a. True
b. False
5. Debt - induced poverty causes people in developing
countries to exploit these in the most profitable
and least sustainable way.
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES:
FROM MATHEMATICS TO LITERATURE — CONTINUED
Mathematics
1. 3/5 x 4.4 billion = 2.64 billion
2.64 billion people do not have access to basic
sanitation.
1/3 x 4.4 billion = 1.46 billion
1.46 billion people do not have access to clean
water.
1/4 x 4.4 billion = 1.1 billion
1.1 billion people do not have adequate housing.
1/5 x 4.4 billion = 880 million
880 million people to not have access to modern
health services.
1/5 x 4.4 billion = 880 million
Answers
3. Ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa - 28:10 = 14:5
Ratio in Latin America/Caribbean - 16:8 = 2:1
Ratio in Asia - 10:8 = 5:4
Total ratio - 54:26 = 27:13
There is almost a 2:1 ratio between the countries that
lost ground in reducing the number of undernourished
people to the countries that made progress.
Although, this is a ratio of countries that are mainly
in the developing world, there are another 34 million
people who live in industrialized countries and countries that are in transition who also suffer from food
insecurity.
880 million people do not attend school to grade
five.
1/5 x 4.4 billion = 880 million
880 million people do not have enough dietary
energy and protein.
These startling, but true statistics, put into
perspective how many people in our world lack basic,
ordinary resources and services that we take for
granted. Yet, the three richest people in the world
have assets that exceed the combined gross domestic
product (GDP) of the 48 least developed countries. In
many international declarations and conventions,
world leaders have promised to provide ‘health for all’,
‘education for all’, and ‘food for all’. However, these
millions and millions of people continue to live,
lacking health care, education, food, water and many
other necessities.
2. 20 years x 8 million / year = 160 million
800 million - 160 million = 640 million
The goal will not be reached.
4. Poverty can be caused by many things, such as violence, unemployment and underemployment, and
reduced state support for health care, education, clean
water, sanitation and other social programs. The
underlying cause of poverty is denying millions of
people their basic human rights.
5. a. True
This figure seems to be an enormous contrast to a
world of unprecedented technological advances and in
which global economic wealth has increased sevenfold
in the past five decades.
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES:
FROM MATHEMATICS TO LITERATURE — CONTINUED
Answers
Literature
continued
Note: all questions in this section are open to interpretation, so these answers are not
necessarily the right ones, but one persons point of view on them
1. In the poem, Wait, the writer uses
specific imagery to relate some
causes of hunger to his audience.
For example, in lines 19-21, it
talks about the earth dying, the
water being dried up and
desertification occurring. This
tells us that drought or other
natural disasters or occurrences
can be causes of hunger and
poverty. Also, in the lines to
follow (lines 22-24) there is
reference made to bloodshed,
which is telling us that war is
also a cause.
Although the poem only talks
about two causes of poverty or
hunger there are many more, such
as unemployment and underemployment, reduced support for
health care, education, clean
water, sanitation and other social
programs.
2. For those who experience poverty,
life shatters before their eyes as
they watch their livelihood disappear (lines 2-3), loved ones suffer
and die (lines 7-8), and the
realization that their dreams and
goals will not be achieved (line
11). Overall, they watch everything they ever worked for or
loved ripped from their possession
and disappear (lines 25-27).
3. The title of this poem is very
significant for two main reasons.
First of all, the incredible hope
and expectancy that those in
poverty must have is summed up
in the word, wait. The power to
make their lives better, for them
and their family, is no longer with
them and now they experience the
surrendering of themselves to
something greater to rescue them
from their desolate state. But, for
now, they must wait. So, what is
this greater force that they are
waiting upon? Well, this brings us
to the second part; we are the
second part. Anyone of us who is
in any position to change the
lives of those living in poverty,
we, too, wait; for no real reason,
but we do. This poem is also
making a plea for help on behalf
of those living in poverty—for us
to realize that we can make a
difference, and actually do so. The
writer hints at this in line 9, as
the word ‘forgotten’ is used,
giving the impression that we
have been waiting so long that
we forgot them. In conclusion,
the theme is that the longer we
wait and the longer we do not
make a difference, the longer
more lives are shattering and
people are dying, waiting for us.
4. Emotionally, hunger and poverty
can take an immense toll on a
person. Watching one’s family die,
can cause feelings of grief and
guilt in a person. The individual
has to deal with the pain of
losing loved ones and the guilt
that in some way it could have
been prevented, although circumstances are beyond them. They
perhaps worry about when their
lives will end and how much
longer they can tolerate the
uncertainty. There can also be
feelings of betraying one’s ancestors and family by not providing
and being successful with the
land.
5. Hope and expectancy are two
words which provoke a positive
feeling and this poem’s mood is
no different. Although, the lives
of those living in poverty is
surrounded with horrific sights,
terrible feelings and embraced
with desolate circumstances, the
one piece of assurance they can
cling to is their hope. They can
anticipate things getting better
and put all of their trust in the
future. At the end of the poem,
the poet states that, if nothing
else, progress will bring them
what has been promised to them
and even if they do not see it, at
least they died hoping.
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES:
FROM MATHEMATICS TO LITERATURE — CONTINUED
French
1. Assez pour manger — quand quelqu’un avoir faim,
nier droite pour avoir assez pour manger
Propre eau — eau non seulement pour accroître
collecte pour manger, mais également nécessaire pour
nettoyage et préparation nourriture
La maison — si quelqu’un trop pauvre pour prendre
nourriture, puis fréquent trop pauvre pour avoir les
moyens un maison. La faim empêche également un
d’avoir la résistance physique pour se construire une
maison ou un endroit à vivre
Santé — les médecines et les vitamines droites sont
seulement pertinentes avec une
éducation appropriée de régime
Education — avec instruire et l’éducation appropriées
vient occasion accrue de produire du revenu et donc
de fixer un futur sûr et faim-libre. Faim également
empêcher un individuals capacité pour apprendre
A vie — souvent un simple vie actionner un ferme
pouvoir ééliminer faim chez un famille, fournir
nourriture aussi bien que un revenu et un futur
A sûr environnement — un sûr environement
pouvoir premier étape vers un agricole vie
Protection contre la violence — guerre souvent un
direct cause pauvreté et faim, quand un protéger ceci,
là un moins chance éprouver pauvreté et faim
Égalite des chances — beaucoup de groupe non
recevoir assez nourriture simple parce que un
minoritéé, par exemple femme, enfant, unité de
feuillets magnétiques, social classe, etc...
Une parole dans leur futur — la réalité est que que
les affamés sont niés cette droite parce qu’elles ne
pourraient pas avoir un futur
2. a) Dans tout le monde en voie de développement les
femmes rurales fournissent la majeure partie du travail
pour cultiver — travaillant les zones et les
enregistrant, les manipulant, vente et traitant des
collectes. Selon la Nourriture une Organisation
Answers
continued
d’Agriculture, dans sub-Saharan Afrique et les
Caraïbes, les femmes produisent jusqu’ à 80% des
produits alimentaires de base. Au Canada, les femmes
expliquent plus que 50% de tout le travail de ferme.
b) Dans beaucoup de cultures les femmes sont souvent le
bout à manger dans leurs familles et en fait à aller en
dehors s’ il y a un manque de nourriture. Ceci a
comme conséquence les mères sous-allimentées
donnant naissance à de bas bébés de poids de
naissance. Les documents qui ont été écrits
enchâssant des droites de femmes sont la Déclaration
Universelle des Droits de l’Homme, et le Women 2000:
egalitéé, développement et paix de genre pour le
premier siècle vingt. (par les Nations Unies) et les
conventions qui ont été tenues sont la convention des
Nations Unis pour l’élimination de la discrimination
contre des femmes. Il y a également un Jour International de Femmes qui a lieu mars 8 et un Jour International pour l’Elimination de la Violence contre des
femmes, qui a lieu le 25 novembre.
3. e. tout l’au-dessus
D’une conséquence imprévue de la révolution verte a
été la faillite de petits fermiers. Par exemple, en Inde,
avant la révolution verte, approximativement 18% des
personnes rurales n’a eu aucune terre du tout. Après la
révolution verte des années 70, 33% des personnes
rurales n’a possédé aucune terre. Qui a profité plus de
la révolution verte? Grandes compagnies
multinationales de nourriture qui pouvaient faire les
investissements initiaux dans les graines, les pesticides, les engrais et l’irrigation.
4. Faux
Selon la FAO, 800 millions de personnes dans le
monde entier sont sous-alimentés.
5. Quelles sont les ressources naturelles?
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES:
FROM MATHEMATICS TO LITERATURE — CONTINUED
Answers
Biology
1. When vitamin A is lacking in a child’s diet it can
cause blindness, which occurs in a quarter of a
million children each year. Children suffer from the
spectre of poverty, just as much as or more than
adults. However, it is not just a problem in developing
countries, but also in some of the most industrialized
countries in the world. In 1993, 12.2 million children
under the age of 5 died, primarily because of malnutrition and other curable diseases. In 1995, it was
estimated that half the global HIV infections had
been people under the age of 25, with up to 60% of
infections occurring in females under the age of 20.
In Canada, the number of children living in poverty
has increased by 46%.
2. The six main nutrients that are a necessity for
fully productive active healthy lives are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and
water. Although, these six nutrients are needed in
order for one to not experience hunger, another
condition called malnutrition can be experienced even
if one does have some of these nutrients. Malnutrition
occurs when there is an inadequate consumption
(under nutrition) or excessive consumption of one or
more nutrients. This condition can cause impairment
to one’s physical and mental health. In a world where
there is more than enough food being produced to
feed everyone, hunger and malnutrition are growing
phenomena.
3. The only life form that can make its own food is
the plant. Plants are called producers as they make
or produce their own food through a process called
photosynthesis. During this process, they also make
food for other organisms, called consumers. Humans
are put into the category of consumers as we use
glucose, that plants produce during photosynthesis, to
make our food.
4. True
continued
Economy
1. b. exportation of cash crops.
In many developing countries, a very large part of
crop production is oriented towards the export
market. This has occurred in response to the
growing pressure on developing countries to
generate revenue necessary to pay for imported
manufactured items and luxury goods. It is also in
response to the need for revenue to pay interest
on debts to the industrialized world. Thus, for
example, while millions of acres of land might be
used for coffee production in a developing country, there is little subsistence farming done.
Consequently, more and more developing countries are finding themselves in a position where
they must import food to feed their people.
2. d. Saudi Arabia
The United Nations has asked industrialized
countries to give 0.7% of their gross domestic
product (GDP) to help developing countries. Five
regions have reached that target, Denmark,
Sweden, Holland, Norway and the oil exporting
countries of the Persian Gulf. It is the Gulf region
which leads with 2.81% of their GDP going to
aid, followed by Norway, with 1.83%. Canada lags
with less than 0.4%, while the United States only
gives 0.25%.
3. False
4. True
5. False
By 1995, debt in developing
countries actually reached 2
trillion!
5. True
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QUIZZES AND EXERCISES:
FROM MATHEMATICS TO LITERATURE — CONTINUED
Answers
Global Issues
1. Enough to eat — when someone is hungry, they
are being denied the right to have enough to eat
Clean water — water is needed not only to grow
crops to eat, but it is also necessary for the cleaning and preparation of food
A home — if someone is too poor to have food,
then they are frequently too poor to afford a home.
Hunger also prevents one from having the physical
strength to build themselves a home or a place to
live.
Health care — the right medicines and vitamins are
only effective with a proper diet
Education — with the proper schooling and education comes increased opportunity to generate
income and therefore secure a safe, hunger-free
future. Hunger also inhibits an individual’s ability
to learn
A livelihood — often a simple livelihood of operating a farm can eliminate hunger within a family,
providing food as well as an income and a future
A safe environment — a safe environment can be
the first step towards an agricultural livelihood
Protection from violence — war is often a direct
cause of poverty and hunger, when one is protected
from this, there is a less chance of experiencing
poverty and hunger
Equality of opportunity — many
groups are not receiving enough
food simply because they are a
minority; for example women,
children, races, social classes,
etc.
A say in their future — the
reality is that the hungry are
being denied this right because
they might not have a future
continued
2. a) Throughout the developing world rural women
provide most of the labor for farming — working the
fields and storing, handling, marketing and processing crops. According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization, “ in sub-Saharan Africa and the
Caribbean, women produce up to 80% of basic
foodstuffs.” In Canada, women account for more
than 50% of all farm labor.
b) In many cultures women are often the last to eat
in their families and in fact go without if there is a
shortage of food. This results in malnourished
mothers giving birth to low birth weight babies. The
documents that have been written enshrining
women’s rights are the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, and “Women 2000: gender equality,
development and peace for the twenty first century”
(by the United Nations) and the conventions that
have been held are The United Nations Convention
for the Elimination of Discrimination Against
Women. There is also an International Women’s Day
that is on March 8th and an International Day for
the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which
is on November 25th.
3. e. all of the above
An unanticipated consequence of the Green Revolution has been the bankruptcy of small farmers. For
example, in India, before the Green Revolution,
approximately 18% of rural people had no land at
all. After the Green Revolution of the 1970’s 33% of
rural people owned no land. Who profited most from
the Green Revolution? Large multinational food
companies who were able to make the initial investments in seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation.
4. False
According to the FAO, 800 million people worldwide
are malnourished
5. What are natural resources?
www.oxfam.ca
NOTES:
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ACTIVITIES: TOMASITO THE TOMATO
Tomasito the TTomato
omato
T
his can be done as a play with
preparation, or simply read out by
different people in class. Get costumes, maybe some background music for
effect! Be creative! Remember, if you are
doing this for a large audience, you will
need to have at least two microphones
operating.
Characters:
Tomasito the Tomato
Farm worker
Plant worker
Waitress
Narrator
Scene 1: On the vine
Narrator: Our journey starts on a Mexican
plantation, where Tomasito the tomato
was grown. Little does Tomasito know
that today will be the beginning of his
journey through North America.
The scene begins with Tomasito on the
vine. The farm worker comes by with
spray bottle.
Tomasito: Hey, how’s it going?
Farm worker: Ah, not so good.
Tomasito: What’s the problem?
Farm Worker: Well, I’ve got structural
adjustment problems.
Tomasito: That doesn’t sound very healthy.
Have you seen a doctor?
Farm Worker: Well, it’s not really a disease, but even if it was, I couldn’t afford
to see a doctor. You see the government
here is in debt, and the World Bank said
“you had better open up your markets to
foreign investment!”
Tomasito: That doesn’t sound so bad.
Won’t that mean more money for people?
Farm Worker: No, it’s going to mean large
foreign corporations are going to buy up
even more of the land. This land, for
example, is owned by Jolly Green Giant.
And these corporations don’t want to pay
us very much money: I only make about
$2.50 a day.
Tomasito: That’s not very much! I don’t
think you could even afford to buy me!
Farm Worker: No. And the corporations
ship all the tomatoes out of here anyway,
so Mexico has to import its food, making
food even more expensive for us to buy.
Tomasito: Were things always this way?
Farm Worker: No, there was a time when
this land used to belong to a cooperative.
All the workers shared the profits, and
could eat the tomatoes instead of selling
them if we wanted to. None of us were
rich, but we did manage to grow enough
to take care of ourselves and our families
and have a little extra to sell. But big
business came along, made all these
promises, told us we’d be better off, but
look at us now! Well, enough chitchat.
I should get back to work. (worker begins
to spray tomato with spray bottle)
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ACTIVITIES: TOMASITO THE TOMATO — CONTINUED
Tomasito: (has coughing fit) Whew! What
is that stuff!
Farm Worker: Pesticides. I’m sorry I have
to do this to you, but it’s company orders.
Just try to hold your breath.
Tomasito: (coughs again) Is it safe?
Farm Worker: Not at all. Pesticides have
caused destruction of the environment,
like the destruction of coral reefs off
Puerto Rico. They have also been linked
to health risks in the people who eat
them. Not only that, but a corporation
called Monsanto sends all its hazardous
waste from pesticide use to a place called
Emelle, Alabama, the site of the world’s
largest toxic waste dump. The people
there have to live with all that dangerous
waste near there homes, which can’t be
healthy.
Tomasito: What about you? I noticed that
you and the other workers don’t wear any
masks or even gloves when spraying the
pesticides.
Farm Worker: I know. Many of the other
workers have gotten sick. Did you know
thousands of workers die each year of
pesticide poisoning? But the corporations
say we can’t prove the connection. We
can’t afford a lawyer, and anybody who
tries to start a union is fired. And I know
it can’t be good for my health. Why else
would I be standing here talking to a
tomato?
Scene 2: Packaging plant:
Plant worker is carrying tomatoes
offstage. He/she gets to Tomasito and
begins to push him along a conveyor belt.
Tomasito: Hey, not so rough!
Plant worker: (slightly angrily; he/she is in
a bad mood) What’s the problem? I have
no time to deal with talking tomatoes
right now. I have to package all these
vegetables in two hours.
Tomasito: But I’m delicate! I need to be
treated with care!
Plant worker: (angrily) Get over it. You
are a tomato. Besides, you should be able
to handle it: the scientists who genetically modified you, developed you to be
capable of making the long trip to the
supermarket without damage. In fact,
they think you are so strong that they
patented you, so that no other tomato
companies can grow your breed. So stop
acting like such a wimp.
Tomasito: Well, somebody’s in a bad mood.
Plant worker: (apologetically) Look, I’m
sorry for being so rude. It’s just that my
shift started at 6:00 this morning and I
won’t be finished until 9:00 tonight. I’m
also having trouble paying the rent: I only
make about $1.50 a day here. Plus, my
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ACTIVITIES: TOMASITO THE TOMATO — CONTINUED
daughter wants to go
to school, and I
would love to send
her. But I can’t
afford the books or
the uniforms. I just
don’t want her to end up
where I am, working at a
low paying job with no benefits for
the rest of her life.
Tomasito: Well, in that case you have the
right to be in a bad mood. I don’t blame
you. Hey, why is that bandage on your
hand?
Plant worker: Well, yesterday I was working in the canning department, and hurt
my hand on one of the machines. The
lighting was not very good so I couldn’t
see very well.
Tomasito: What? Shouldn’t they have
better lighting? Shouldn’t you at least
have the day off to recover?
Plant worker: I could take the day off, but
the manager said it’s my own fault for not
being careful, so they’d dock me a day’s
pay. I can’t afford to pay a doctor to look
at it anyway and the corporation refuses
to pay, so here I am. Now, are you ready
to be sent to the canner?
Tomasito: I guess so. Hope your hand
gets better soon.
(Plant worker leads Tomasito offstage)
Scene 3: Restaurant
(Tomasito is in a fancy restaurant being
prepared as a salad. Waitress is preparing
salad to bring out)
Tomasito: What’s happening to me now?
Where am I?
Waitress: Welcome to ‘Bon Appetite’,
Toronto’s finest gourmet restaurant. You
are being made into a fresh garden salad,
along with some other vegetables and a
house dressing made fresh each day by our
chef.
Tomasito: I sound yummy! Am I?
Waitress: I wouldn’t know. I’d never be
able to afford the salad here.
Tomasito: Let me guess. You get paid low
wages.
Waitress:
Yep.
Tomasito: And have no benefits.
Waitress:
Yep.
Tomasito: And work lots of overtime.
Waitress:
Yep, how do you know all this?
Tomasito: Well, it seems like everybody I
meet who is involved with getting me from
the vine to the table has the same problems. It seems like if I’m going to be
turned into a salad, at least someone
should benefit from me. If it isn’t the
farmer, the plant worker, or you, does
anybody make money from me?
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ACTIVITIES: TOMASITO THE TOMATO — CONTINUED
Waitress: Yes, but it’s nobody who is actually involved in growing or processing
tomatoes. The CEO’s of the big corporations like Monsanto and Jolly Green Giant
make plenty of money, even though they
have probably never grown a tomato
themselves.
Tomasito: Does anybody else have good
jobs? What about you? Have you ever
had a good job?
Waitress: Yes. In fact, I used to work in a
tomato processing plant. I didn’t make a
whole lot of money. But it was a decent
job all the same: the hours were reasonable, there were good safety standards, we
had a health plan, and after I worked
there for a year, I got a raise. It wasn’t
exactly luxury, but I didn’t have to worry
too much about paying the bills.
Narrator: Thus, our journey ends. A tomato has quite an interesting journey
from vine to salad, passing though many
people before getting eaten. And so
many of the people who help along the
way have many of the same problems: low
pay, few benefits, and dangerous working
conditions. In lots of other industries,
the same problems occur. So next time
you eat a salad, buy a pineapple, drink a
cup of coffee — purchase almost anything
— think of Tomasito and who gains and
who loses in today’s global economy.
Tomasito: So why did you quit?
Waitress: I didn’t quit, silly. The plant
closed and the owners moved it to
Mexico, where they would have to pay less
in wages and the safety standards were
low. This job is part time, so the restaurant doesn’t have to give me benefits.
They only pay me minimum wage, and I
doubt very much I will get a raise any
time soon. I don’t make enough money
off this job, so I have another job as well,
in a clothing store. Look, I can’t chat any
longer. The guy who ordered you is
waiting.
Tomasito: OK. I guess this is the end for
me. I hope I make a good salad!
“What a Tangled Web We Weave,” CLC Toolbox for Global Solidarity”
www.oxfam.ca
ACTIVITIES:
THE LAND CHALLENGE
The Land Challenge
— An Exercise in Collective Decision Making
S
eparate into groups. Each group will
represent a small village. Your village
has just bought an area of land to
farm. Now you need to decide what to do
with it. Your village has a meeting with
everyone to discuss how the land should be
used, and you must make several decisions.
As a group think of a name for your village
and decide what you want to do with the
land. Talk about and answer the following
questions:
• How will the land be split up? Will
everyone get an equal share? Will people
with more money get more land? Will
people with bigger families get more land?
Will women-headed households get land?
• What kind or crops will you grow? Will
you grow more than one kind? With many
kinds, your village can have a full range of
food for nutrition; with one kind, you can
sell more.
• Will you eat what you grow, sell it locally,
or export it to other countries? If you
grow food, you don’t have to pay for it; if
you export, you may make more money.
With exports, you must use a large portion
of your land to make shipments worthwhile.
• Will you use pesticides? Pesticides protect from insects so you don’t have to do
as much work, but they are also bad for
your health.
• Will you buy genetically engineered crops
or traditional ones? Genetically engineered crops have special characteristics:
they might grow faster, or resist disease.
But you have to pay the company for
seeds each year, which can be very expensive. In traditional farming, you can use
your own seeds year after year.
• What will you do if your crops fail?
• If each family has their own piece of land,
what happens when one family’s crops
have a bad year? Do other families help
them out?
• Does your village have a plan if there is a
famine?
There is no truly right answer. If
your group cannot decide on a certain
issue, have a vote to decide. Make brief
notes on your answers. After the groups
have made their decisions, a person from
each group should tell the class about the
decisions they made. How were your
group’s decisions different from the other
groups?
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NOTES:
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This kit was made possible with the funding from the Canadian International Development Agency