Fair trade

Fair trade represents a strategy for fighting poverty. Thanks to guaranteed minimum prices and Fairtrade premiums, farmers in Africa, Latin Amerika and Asia have the possibility to strenghten their villages and families through their own efforts and to make a stustainable improvement to their living and working conditions. Fairtrade farmers and workers have a public voice, are taken seriously and can take informed decisions.

Faitrade-certified farmers are paid a guaranteed minimum price for their products that provides them with a stable income. Max Havelaar makes it possible for farmers from disadvantaged regions in the South to gain access to markets in the North and fosters long-term trading relationships that include as few intermediaries as possible.
Plantation employees are paid at the very least the legal minimum wage and benefit from, among others, protective clothing, paid vacation time and social benefits.

Max Havelaar hands power to the South
The Max Havelaar quality label is the only one that guarantees an agreed Fairtrade premium for community projects. With each sale, a premium is automatically deposited in the producer organization's designated premium account. Farmers and workers then decide democratically and independently how they will invest the premium. Projects range from building a fresh water drinking fountain or school through refocusing on organic farming to subsidizing dental appointments.

Max Havelaar helps those it works with in the South to become stronger, offers men and women more and better possibilities. 1.5 million people in Latin America, Africa and Asia are part of the Fairtrade system.

Small farmers and field workers in developing countries live with the constant pressures of world markets, fluctuating prices, and exploitation by local traders. The repercussions range from debt to unemployment and poverty. However, there are few alternatives to domestic production. Unfortunately, they often include the cultivation of narcotic substances, prostitution, child labor, migration to the slums of major cities or emigration. Fair trade offers more than a million people a way out of this downward spiral.