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Critique an Article: Fair Trade Certification

International Fairtrade Certification Mark- this is not hyperlinked and should be.

Fairtrade Standards are designed to aid the sustainable development of some smaller producers and agricultural workers in third world countries. - this should be cited

• Any profits earned must be equally distributed among the producers. - this should be cited
• Every member in the organisation should have the right to vote in the decision-making process.- this should be cited
  • No forced or child labour
  • Working conditions have to be equitable for all workers. Salaries must be at least equal or higher than the minimum wage in effect.
  • Safety and health measures must be implemented properly so as to avoid unwanted injuries at work. === Trade Standards ===
  • Pay a price higher than the Fairtrade Minimum Price in order to cover the costs of sustainable production.
  • Pay an additional amount of money that allows producers to invest in development : the Fairtrade Premium.
  • Sign contracts that assist long-term planning and sustainable production practices.
  • ALL OF THESE SHOULD BE CITED
  • These articles are biased. They should just use the reports that are referenced in the article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/05/fairtrade-unjust-movement-serves-rich
• http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/fairtrade-coffee-fails-to-help-the-poor-british-report-finds/article18852585/

This article opens with a paragraph that effectively summarizes the topic, first explaining why the certification exists, a bit of it's history and it's function. The article then goes into the appropriate subcategories such as the history, standards and how it works. Unfortunately, this article does not go into nearly as much depth as it can and should. For instance, the history section, which is very important to the reasoning behind the label, is extremely brief. The sections on Impact Studies and Criticism are blank and only provide links to other pages, when they could at a minimum, summarize these topics on their own in this article. Additionally, there are many statements that are not cited and therefor make the article appear biased. "There is widespread confusion because the fair trade industry standards provided by Fairtrade International (The Fairtrade Labelling Organization) use the word "producer" in many different senses, often in the same specification document." This "fact" for instance, definitely needs to be cited, as it appears as an assumption without a reference. "The initiative was groundbreaking as for the first time Fairtrade coffee was being offered to a larger consumer segment. Fairtrade labelling certification provided some assurance that the products were really benefiting the farm workers at the end of the supply chain." This sentence for example is also biased. (See other sentences that should be cited, above). The article, at times, makes generalizations about Fair Trade Certification as a whole when the source is only talking about one or two countries. This is problematic. There are many content gaps in that as many countries as possible should be discussed, especially because there is data out there. Also, the history of the article ends at 2011 and there are many current topics to discuss when it comes to fair trade certification. Several of the sources are not strong and some are very obviously biased. In parts of the article, online publications are cited but they present biases and are not backed by data. See above.

TOPIC:

Urban agriculture in West Oakland

Urban agriculture in West Oakland involves the implementation of Urban agriculture in Oakland.

Urban agriculture is defined by the United Nations Development Programme as "the growing, processing, and distribution of food and other products through intensive plant cultivation and animal husbandry in and around cities.” A more extensive interpretation, which considers multiple aspects of the pratice is described by The Council for Agriculture, Science and Technology as "a complex system encompassing a spectrum of interests, from a traditional core of activities associated with the production, processing, marketing, distribution, and consumption, to a multiplicity of other benefits and services that are less widely acknowledged and documented. These include recreation and leisure; economic vitality and business entrepreneurship, individual health and well-being; community health and well-being; landscape beautification; and environmental restoration and remediation.” Urban agriculture localizes production and distribution of food, often with the larger goal of tackling food insecurity in a way that is environmentally and socially sustainable. In West Oakland, growing food on a small-scale, ecologically sustainable and socially-minded way is an effort to combat the Food Desert in West Oakland. West Oakland’s high levels of food insecurity stems from racial, ethnic, and socio-economic disparities- a history of poverty, unfulfilled industrialization, and environmental racism. As a result, urban agriculture is often connected to the larger movement for Food Justice. 

According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Food justice, similar to Food Sovereignty, is defined as "the right of communities everywhere to produce, process, distribute, access, and eat good food regardless of race, class, gender, ethnicity, citizenship, ability, religion, or community.” Growing in an urban setting has become one of the most rapidly expanding forms of American agriculture. Research suggests that 60% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2030 and the question of how to feed populations that are historically removed from food production is becoming more important than ever. The FAO predicts that rates of urban food insecurity will increase as more people move into cities. Urban agriculture is one of the solutions to tackling the urban food insecurity crisis and a key element of cultivating food justice.  When it comes to West Oakland, the struggle for healthy, affordable and accessible food as well as the push towards urban agriculture are closely connected. 

This topic is expanding every year, as urban ag is becoming increasingly popular in cities. In West Oakland, exciting things are happening. This food desert is taking the fight to change the food system into their own hands and their inspiring actions should be documented! To edit this article I will expand upon the intro paragraph and I'll add a paragraph about the Food Justice movement, as it is closely related to this topic.

Urban agriculture is defined by the United Nations Development Programme as "the growing, processing, and distribution of food and other products through intensive plant cultivation and animal husbandry in and around cities.” The Council for Agriculture, Science and Technology considers all aspects of urban agriculture with a more extensive definition: “Urban agriculture is a complex system encompassing a spectrum of interests, from a traditional core of activities associated with the production, processing, marketing, distribution, and consumption, to a multiplicity of other benefits and services that are less widely acknowledged and documented. These include recreation and leisure; economic vitality and business entrepreneurship, individual health and well-being; community health and well-being; landscape beautification; and environmental restoration and remediation.” Urban agriculture localizes production and distribution of food, often with the larger goal toward tackling food insecurity in a way that is environmentally and socially sustainable. In West Oakland, growing food in a small-scale, sustainable and socially-minded way is an effort to combat the Food Desert in West Oakland. West Oakland’s high levels of food insecurity stems from racial, ethnic, and socio-economic disparities- a history of poverty, unfulfilled industrialization, and environmental racism. In these ways, urban agriculture is often connected to the larger movement for Food Justice. 

According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Food justice, similar to Food Sovereignty, is defined as "the right of communities everywhere to produce, process, distribute, access, and eat good food regardless of race, class, gender, ethnicity, citizenship, ability, religion, or community.” Growing in an urban setting has become one of the most rapidly expanding forms of American agriculture. As it is said that 60% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2030, the question of how to feed populations that are historically removed from food production is becoming more important than ever. The FAO predicts that rates of urban food insecurity will increase as more people move into cities. Urban agriculture is one of the solutions to tackling the urban food insecurity crisis and a key element of cultivating food justice.  When it comes to West Oakland, the struggle for healthy, affordable and accessible food and the push towards urban agriculture are closely connected.