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Banana
Farming |
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The Windward Islands are a group of islands
in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea. They consist of
Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
and Grenada |
Many people in the Windward Islands depend on banana farming
to make a living. Meet the farmers.
In the Windward Islands bananas are grown on small family-run
farms. Banana farmers often spend more than half their earnings
on pesticides, fertiliser, packaging and transporting their bananas
from the farms to the docks.
In recent years it has become much harder for farmers to earn enough
money to support their families. The price of bananas has fallen
world-wide. In addition, changes in world trade rules mean farmers
now face increased competition from multinational companies, which
can grow bananas much more cheaply.
Some farmers now sell their bananas to the Fair Trade market. This
ensures that they get a fair price for their bananas. They also
get extra money – a Fair Trade 'social premium' which is spent
on projects that benefit the whole community.
Fair Trade can't solve all the problems faced by banana farmers
in the Windward Islands but it is helping some of them to earn enough
to survive.
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Meet
the farmers |
| Meet
people who grow bananas in the Windward Islands. Find out about
the difficulties they face and the benefits that Fair Trade
has brought them. |
Bonkers about bananas
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