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Fairtrade
and organic cotton producer visits Devon during Fairtrade Fortnight
2011 |
Mr Abdoulaye
Diakite is a senior
Training Adviser of MOBIOM,
the Mali Organic Movement. He has more
than 10 years experience supporting farmers and community groups in
rural and community development. He visited a wide variety of groups,
organisations and venues during his two week stay. These included the
Eden Project, the Met Office in Exeter and a celebration of Fairtrade
at Exeter City Football Club. Abdoulaye also spoke
to the largest
number of schools ever by a Fairtrade producer during Fairtrade
fortnight in Devon.
Hundreds
of primary and secondary pupils across Devon were fascinated by Abdoulaye's
presentation, delivered in French. He
told pupils about life in Mali, about the process of cotton farming and
how Fairtrade had benefited his community.
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Abdoulaye
revealed what a difference Fairtrade had made for the women cotton
growers in Mafele, one of the villages he has been supporting.
They have felt greatly empowered by the improved, stable
and guaranteed income that Fairtrade and organic cotton has bought
them as well as improving their working conditions and rights. The
social premium, awarded to all communities supplying products to
the Fairtrade market, has been used to build a maternity unit which
has meant women no longer have to travel 25Km (often by bicycle
or on a donkey!) to give birth. They call their Fairtrade and
organic cotton "noble cotton" because of what it has done for them.
Activities
in schools included looking at bogolan art, a traditional process in
Mali involving painting symbols with mud onto cotton cloth and playing
a role play game that exposes the unfairness of the conventional cotton
trade: pupils where horrified that cotton farmers can earn just 5 pence
from a cotton shirt costing £5 in the shops. |
Abdoulaye clearly enjoyed his visit, and despite a tiring schedule of
visits and presentations, always spoke to every new audience with
passion. He was warmly received wherever he went.
| Background
information on MOBIOM,
the Mali Organic Movement |
MOBIOM
is an association of cooperatives and organic
producers. Abdoulaye's work with MOBIOM has been entirely focused
on supporting farmers engaged in organic or Fairtrade production of cotton
and rotation crops. As
senior Training Adviser, his role
consists of helping organic and Fairtrade producers to meet the standards
for organic produce set by the European Union and the USA (NOP) and standards
set by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO). To do this he is involved
in the training of groups to improve the governance of their organisations,
providing them with a better understanding of organic standards and
how to achieve them and helping them to manage and use effectively profits
generated from Fairtrade.
 |
The
national focus for Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 was Fairtrade cotton,
which accounts for less than 1% of cotton fashion on the high street.
Fairtrade cotton guarantees a Fairtrade minimum price as well as
a Fairtrade premium for investment in social development projects
such as water, education and healthcare. You can read
more about how Fairtrade has benefited producers and read a
new report from the Fairtrade Foundation entitled The
Great Cotton Stitch Up which details how US and EU subsidies
have had a devastating effect on cotton farmers in West Africa |
| If
you are on Facebook you are invited to join the "Fairtrade
in Devon" group. Click
here |
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