Many commodities we take for granted, such as tea, coffee, and bananas, are produced in the warmer climates of the south, largely in third world countries. The prices paid to farmers in real terms for their produce have not risen for 40 years, yet the price of fertilisers, pesticides and machinery have increased substantially. The result is that the people who grow these crops work harder and harder for less money, in many cases eventually selling their crops for less money that it took to grow them. In the early nineties, there was a point where many farmers had crippling debt, and many more lost their land.

Fair Trade ensures that farmers are paid fairly, and farm labourers are both paid and treated fairly. Small, independent farmers, who may produce coffee or cocoa for example, market their produce through local co-operatives, meaning they get a fair price for their crops,and therefore they can feed their families and send their children to school instead of working in the fields. It also means they can avoid cost-cutting practices which sacrifice quality.

Crops such as tea are produced on large estates or plantations. Here the workers have a 'fair wage' - at least the countrys' minimum wage, and where this is too low, a living wage. They also have the right to join a trade union, good housing, and decent health and safety standards. There is no child or forced labour on Fair Trade estates, and working conditions continuously improve through investment and consideration of the welfare of their workers.

By working directly with producers and cutting out the middleman, the cost to the consumer is kept down, while quality is maintained. Generally the price of Fair Trade commodities are more than standard supermarket fare, but about the same price as the more expensive varieties. In addition, many Fair Trade products are certified organic, which means growing methods maintain biodiversity, provide shelter for birds etc, don't use (and therefore don't contain traces of) pesticides, plus all the usual advantages of organic produce.

Products available as Fair Trade vary from country to country. For example, Fair Trade products in North America consist mainly of craft products - home decorations, jewelry, textiles and ceramics - although coffee, tea and bananas are available. In Europe, they are mainly commodities - coffee, tea, cocoa, honey, bananas, mangoes, orange juice and sugar.