Women Farmers and Chocolate

Women Farmers and Chocolate

  

 

 

Last night, running out the door, I grabbed a chocolate bar. Ah, instant satisfaction. Chocolate is the solution to a sweet tooth, bad breakup, cake to celebrate a birthday, and more. A box of chocolates even melts hearts all over the country each year on February 14. With Oxfam’s new Behind the Brands Campaign we’re looking at how our favorite companies play a huge part in influencing the food industry. On March 8 for International Women’s Day, we’ll even go a step further and focus on women farmers in the cocoa industry. It all comes down to how some of our favorite cocoa companies like Mars, Mondelez International, and Nestlé are treating the very people who play a central role in growing our chocolate- the farmers.

Women farmers make up the majority of farmers, yet women working in cocoa fields and processing plants suffer substantial discrimination and inequality. Women play an indispensable role in the production of cocoa; they plant and care for young trees, break harvested pods, and are responsible for fermenting and drying cocoa before it is sold to traders.

 

Here’s a surprising fact that shocked me: According to Oxfam, “Additionally, unlike other commodities like soy and tea which are typically grown on huge plantations, 90 percent of cocoa is grown by small-scale farmers who work 5 hectares or less of land.”2

 

And while women increasingly occupy positions of power in food and beverage company headquarters, women working in company supply chains in developing countries continue to be denied similar advances in wealth, status or opportunity. We also know, that despite a worldwide recession, food and beverage companies are enjoying unprecedented success in selling chocolate to consumers across the globe1 In a 100 billion dollar industry, most cocoa farmers make less than 2 dollars a day. 

 

 

 

So what do we do?

 

These “big brands” are called big for a reason. They have a great deal of influence on our supply chain, but consumers have just as much of a say in the process. After all, we’re the ones who buy the products. Looking at the history of Nestlé, consumers have helped transform business practices since the 1970’s (I’m specifically pointing to the baby milk issue). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott

 

Today, some 40 years later, consumers are taking action again. This time, you don’t even have to boycott your favorite brands. Signing with Oxfam makes your voice heard. We’re at 11939 signatures and by the time you finishing reading this, that number will have gone up. Those numbers reflect people who want to change business practices among the Big Brands. Those practices are reflected in Oxfam America’s score card on the top ten food companies. Issues like transparency, women, workers, farmers, and land were studied in-depth for 18 months. As companies change their policies, so will the score card. Corporations are responding and you can keep up-to-date on their changes: http://www.behindthebrands.org/en-us/scorecard

When I made the mad dash out the door with my chocolate, I hadn't given much thought to the farmer and many others who helped with the cultivation process. The idea that we are all interrelated isn’t a new one. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gives a beautiful sermon on the subject in 1967:

 

“Did you ever stop to think that you can't leave for your job in the morning without being dependent on most of the world? You get up in the morning and go to the bathroom and reach over for the sponge, and that's handed to you by a Pacific islander. You reach for a bar of soap, and that's given to you at the hands of a Frenchman. And then you go into the kitchen to drink your coffee for the morning, and that's poured into your cup by a South American. And maybe you want tea: that's poured into your cup by a Chinese. Or maybe you're desirous of having cocoa for breakfast, and that's poured into your cup by a West African. And then you reach over for your toast, and that's given to you at the hands of an English-speaking farmer, not to mention the baker. And before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you've depended on more than half of the world. This is the way our universe is structured, this is its interrelated quality.”

 

Thinking and learning about where our food comes from can have a tremendous impact. Next time you indulge in a chocolate bar think about who’s growing it. Since you’ve gotten to the end of this post though, go a step further and sign with others from around the world and make your voice heard. Tell the top three chocolate companies that the women who grow and pick cocoa deserve better: http://www.behindthebrands.org/en-us

 

 

 

Oh, and if you’re in Albuquerque on Friday, March 8 we’ve got some suprises in store on how to celebrate International Women’s Day. Email newmexico@oxfamactioncorps.org for more information!  

Happy International Women's Day from New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps  

 

 

[1] KPMG. “Food and Beverage Industry Outlook Survey” 2012. Found at http://www.kpmg.com/US/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/food-and-beverage-industry-outlook-survey-2012.pdf

2 http://worldcocoafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/Cocoa-Market-Update-as-of-3.20.2012.pdf

Note: some information in this article taken from Oxfam reports

 

 

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By Kalen Olson

My Pledge: Meatless Mondays

I have to admit that I only recently considered the changes I could make to my diet that would affect others. Although I grew up in a conscientious, environment-oriented family, we were more concerned with saving water than food. In fact, my boyfriend still refers to me as "The Water Nazi" for turning off the facet while he's midway through brushing his teeth or shaving.

But when I read about "Meatless Mondays", something stuck. I had learned about Oxfam's GROW Campaign from my training, and this plan provided a simple, concrete way to support the "eat less meat" objective. 

The phrase has been around for almost 100 years (originally a WWI slogan to ration food), but I didn’t know about “Meatless Mondays” until a recent backlash from ranchers about the content of a USDA newsletter. This flurry of articles made me dig a little deeper, and realize that the campaign has reached a lot of people. According to a report by the American Meat Institute, nearly 20% of households participate. 

Chefs are on board; schools, hospitals, and even whole towns have implemented meat-free Mondays. 80,000 children attending Baltimore City Public Schools made the switch. University of California Santa Cruz and Carnegie Mellon students enjoy Meatless Mondays at their dining halls. The Cobblestone Café at John Hopkins Hospital offers only vegetarian options on Mondays. Bigger still, San Francisco and Washington D.C. have passed city-wide resolutions. And in 2011, Aspen became the first “Meatless Monday Community” with over 30 restaurants and organizations participating.

If you're like many of my friends, you're probably asking, "What difference does it make?" The answer is: a lot.  A family of four that trades in their steak dinner for lentils once a week saves 12.5 Olympic-size swimming pools of water per year. Moreover, “if everybody in America did that, that would be the equivalent of taking 20 million midsize sedans off the road,” food advocate Michael Pollan commented on Oprah. Water, land, fertilizer, oil. These are all things we don’t often consider when eating meat. Maybe you knew that livestock farming accounts for almost 20% of greenhouse gases, but did you know it also represents 8% of water use worldwide?                   

                                                         What it Takes to Make a Quarter-Pounder

Source: J.L. Capper, Journal of Animal Science, December, 2011.

Credit: Producers: Eliza Barclay, Jessica Stoller-Conrad 

Designer: Kevin Uhrmacher/NPR

The drain on resources gives rise to other problems. According to Oxfam press officer Ben Grossman-Cohen, "If we don't reduce our environmental footprints as we increase production, poor people, particularly women, will be the first to suffer. Eating less meat is a simple way to reduce the pressure on global resources and help ensure that everyone has enough to eat." Oxfam's GROW campaign goes a long way toward feeding a world population estimated to grow to nine billion by 2050. 

Now, I realize there are many people that go way beyond the once-a-week pledge. There are vegans and vegetarians, and others like a former roommate of mine that ate veggie burgers every other day just because they were simple to prepare and tasted good. However, we all do what we can, and that means "Meatless Mondays” for me. This plan assures I eat less meat by making it a priority at least once a week. I've conned my boyfriend into joining in also. As a big meat-eater, it’s a significant sacrifice for him, but I’m confident I can cook up some great vegetarian meals. I’ll keep you updated on how it’s going, and post some fun recipes so you can join in too.

By Jasmine McBeath

Welcome!

Welcome to the New Mexico Oxfam America Action Corps weblog! Here you will find the most up-to-date news and information regarding current efforts to address climate change, as well as Oxfam America's events and calls to action here in New Mexico.

Oxfam America is raising awareness about the impact climate change has on the underprivileged. Climate change exacerbates current inequalities and poses a significant threat to stability and security throughtout the world. Oxfam America is currently mobilizing groups across the country to promote positive legislation addressing climate change immediately. Currently, the House of Representatives is considering the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (the "ACES Act" or sometimes called "Waxman-Markey" for shorthand), and we are monitoring the developments.

We hope this web log provides you with the information you need to be fully informed. Further, we hope the news, stories and comments on this site will inspire you to make a difference.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post them and they will be addressed as soon as possible. Further, you are always welcome to email the local Action Corps Organizers, Amy Walkowiak and Mark Pustay, at nmoxfamactioncorps@gmail.com.

Again, welcome!