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Mexican Fair Trade Essay

1221 Words5 Pages

Workers in the agricultural and food industries have long faced problems. To start, farmers in Mexico began to have issues after the passing of NAFTA in 1994. In the past, Mexico had been pretty reliant on its own farmers for their agricultural needs. However, after NAFTA was passed and free trade among Mexico, the US and Canada was further promoted, many farmers who had once farmed corn found their demand lowered by the cheap cost of US corn. This corn was cheap and heavily subsidized by the US government, which as a result, promoted US corn exports to Mexico (lecture). In response to the rapid decrease in demand, there was a great band of immigration to the US, both illegal and legal, of Mexican agricultural workers in need of work. Some …show more content…

Fair Trade began as an early effort to get products from different areas of the globe, particularly from the Global South, to the US (lecture). At this point in time, most Fair Trade goods are sold to further the development and living conditions of the artisans and producers of the products being sold (Brown, pp. 2). Coffee is the most well known product of Fair Trade, and the terms of production are rather similar to that of organic. In essence, the makers of these products get Fair Trade certification for their items if they can ensure that their workers are being treated and paid fairly. With this certification, the producers, in turn, get a premium price for their goods (lecture). To summarize, having this Fair Trade certification on products ensures adequate working conditions and pay for the producers of the products and gives the companies or heads of the farms more money as an incentive to abide by the conditions and pay. In the end, it’s a win-win for both the farmers/companies and for the workers (lecture). Although there are many problems that plague agricultural workers here in the US and across the globe, there are ways to improve them. Hopefully, one day soon, all workers will be treated fairly and get the compensation that they deserve in the

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