How can I make sure cotton farmers get a fair deal? When you buy Fairtrade cotton you know the farmer is getting a fair deal for their cotton. Lets find out more… How can I make sure cotton farmers get a fair deal? Millions of farmers in developing countries aren’t getting a fair price for the cotton they grow. The way the global market works can even mean the price farmers sell their cotton for can be less than it has cost them to grow it. What does a cotton plant look like? Cotton is mainly grown in China, India and the US. It is also an important crop for countries in Asia and Africa. What’s it like being a cotton farmer? Where does cotton grow? Cotton is in most of the clothes we wear: socks, jeans and t-shirts for example. Towels, bedding and bags are also made from cotton. Cottonseed oil is also in products like soap and cosmetics. Today you are going to learn about cotton and how it is produced. (Ask the children these questions about cotton then reveal the answers). What do we use cotton for? Cotton is in most of the clothes we wear: socks, jeans and t-shirts for example. Towels, bedding and bags are also made from cotton. Cottonseed oil is also in products like soap and cosmetics. What does a cotton plant look like? Where is cotton grown? Cotton is mainly grown in China, India and the US. It is also an important crop for countries in Asia and Africa. What’s it like being a cotton farmer? Millions of farmers in developing countries aren’t getting a fair price for the cotton they grow. The way the global market works can even mean the price farmers sell their cotton for can be less than it has cost them to grow it. That doesn’t sound fair. Can you tell me more? What do we use cotton for?

Being a Fairtrade farmer So what difference would it make to be a Fairtrade farmer? Fairtrade focuses on helping farmers and workers improve the quality of their lives and take more control over their futures. The purpose of Fairtrade is to tackle poverty and empower producers in developing countries. All Fairtrade farmers are paid more than their goods are worth: this is called a Fairtrade premium. The farmers themselves decide how to spend the premium. It is often put towards community projects.

Community has a borehole thanks to the Fairtrade Premium In Mali there are lots of Fairtrade cotton farmers (over 3 million). There is a big organisation called Mobiom which is made up of 8,000 farmers who are members of 76 separate co-operatives. 73 of these have used the extra money they get for their crop, the Fairtrade  premium, to build storage barns for their cotton. These help to protect it against the weather. They have also sunk dozens of water boreholes. Previously the women in the communities had to walk miles for water, but now they can get it much more easily. Community has a borehole thanks to the Fairtrade Premium

Community has a medical centre and midwife thanks to the Fairtrade Premium Some of the communities have put their Fairtrade Premium money together to pay for a trained midwife in the local health centre (that was also built with the Fairtrade money they received). Beforehand, when a woman was pregnant she would have to travel 25kms, mostly along a bumpy track, to get to the nearest medical centre. Building a medical centre nearby and paying for a trained midwife has benefitted all the families in the area.

Children are able to go to school The extra money generated from Fairtrade organic cotton has meant that 95% of the children can now afford to go to school. In Mali generally, less than half (43%) of the children are able to go to school.

“…today all of my children go to school.” Moussa A Fairtrade cotton farmer from Mali A cotton farmer called Moussa who is in the Fairtrade system says: "Today, all my children can go to school because I can afford to pay the school fees; we eat every day, we are able to eat when we are hungry. I can also meet the costs of medicines should we need them. Before, it was difficult to find enough money to get by. Only three of my children used to go to school; today all of my children go to school. Our kids are well dressed, they have uniforms and they have materials for school. With the premium we’ve built two classrooms, a teachers’ staff room and a shop."

“Fairtrade has brought lots of changes to women’s lives” Bintou A Fairtrade cotton farmer from Mali As well as all these changes there are sometimes other ones that are more difficult to see. Bintou a female cotton farmer in Mali explains: ‘Fairtrade has brought lots of changes to women’s lives. In the past, men would take all decisions to do with the village, without consulting their wives. They would tell the women what to do...We have a voice and we are listened to. We discuss with men any development projects that will affect the village. We have input and this has had a huge difference on our lives. Profits now go directly to women farmers too, and not to their husbands. We are managing our own money. This is changing the status of women generally in the community." "Before, the women were not invited, not asked, not consulted. We were sad. We are pleased now we are included at the same level as the men. We know that men can’t do everything without us. Women are valued now." "Before Fairtrade, it was a struggle to feed our children but now we are comfortable in the knowledge that we have enough to eat. This has been the most important change for my family."