To celebrate International Fair Trade Day, we hereby invite you to participate in an online event taking place on 11th of May 2021 at 18.00.
Fair trade and free trade sound like they’re interchangeable but for farmers and producers in the Global South, they’re are completely different. Free trade is all about the free market, eliminating trade barriers, competition between players leading to focusing on lowering the production costs by all means. Meanwhile, fair trade involves ensuring that the workers behind these goods and services are treated fairly and that human rights are maintained throughout the supply chain.
Kenyan Peasants League (KPL) is a social movement of Kenyan Peasant farmers and Consumers whose main is to promote peasant farming, family farming, agro-ecology, food sovereignty, climate justice, peasant feminism and smallholder faming so as to promote food sovereignty.
During the meeting, the representation of Kenyan Peasant League (KPL) will disclose their view on rights of the workers & farmers who are among the most vulnerable people in global trade. They often have few options for a sustainable livelihood, as well as lacking formal contracts, freedom of association, basic health and safety assurances, and adequate wages.
Representatives will also talk about mutual benefits and challenges they experience through their daily work. Together with the audience, the KPL representation will debate the main goals of Fair Trade which are to: reduce exploitation in the trade market, reduce violations to human rights and the environment, and empower producers to be able to support themselves by securing the rights of marginalized groups through better wages and improved working conditions.
Kenyan Peasants League will be represented by:
Cidi Otieno – an agroecologist, a Small Holder Farmer and a member of the Kenyan Peasants League where he serves as the National Secretary General and Policy Advisor. He is also the National Coordinator of the Kenya Debt Abolition Network (KDAN). Cidi is a holder of Bachelor of Science Degree in Range Management (Dry Lands Resource Management and Economics from the University of Nairobi and also a trained Social Science
Researcher from University of Bagamoyo in Tanzania.
Susan Owiti – a feminist, an activist and a peasant farmer. She is a member of Kenyan Peasants League Women Collective where she pushes for issues affecting women especially peasant women whose voices have been silenced when it comes to owning of natural resources like seeds,water and land and also to make sure women are included in decision making.
Habu Dorcas – a smallholder farmer and a member of the Kenyan Peasants League (KPL) where she serves as the Secretary general for the KPL Youth Collective and also the Secretary for the KPL Kangemi Cluster. Dorcas is also the Secretary General of Kangemi Grassroots Human Rights movement and young radical peasant feminist
Login data:
https://zoom.us/j/97254475760…
Meeting ID: 972 5447 5760Passcode: 868227
Meeting organized in cooperation with The Culture of Openness project.
