“Ethical sourcing” and “fair trade” are four words that have made headways in the past decade and continue to do so. They’re not the same but are related closely in meaning.

Ethical sourcing involves ensuring products like coffee, chocolate, sugar, bananas and cotton are obtained in a responsible way, workers being treated fairly by providing them with safe and clean working conditions, not harming the soil, water and air around it while the crops are being produced, thus providing positive benefits to the community.

Fairtrade is the trade between corporations in developed countries and producers in developing countries in which fair prices are arrived at to pay the producers.

Before the global pandemic, it was normal to see workers in the metro area of Toronto walking with coffee cups on their way to their workplace. Canadians are heavy consumers of coffee, perhaps because of the long cool/cold weather the country is known for. Some drink more than two cups during the day. There were more coffee shops than, say McDonald’s or Burger King along the main streets of Toronto, not to mention the high number of coffee shops in the food courts of malls. The pandemic has affected the solvency of some of these coffee shops. Understandably so. But, this is not to say coffee drinking has diminished within the populace. They’ve started drinking coffee at home, brewing them like in the coffee shops, even bringing these to their workplaces. One thing that has appeared in some coffee packages, whether in bean or ground form, is an added label “Fair Trade”, which I applaud. The price may be higher but the buyer is assured that the extra money paid goes directly to the farmer growing the coffee.

In 2015, I was fortunate to watch a documentary at the TIFF Bell Lightbox about a coffee grower in Ethiopia, the origin of coffee. “Dukale’s Dream” featured a young farmer growing coffee with zero carbon imprint. Impressive! Hugh Jackman from X-Men movie series and wife Deborra Lee Furness flew to Ethiopia, spent time on the small farm of Dukale and was inspired to set up coffee shops in NYC using fair trade coffee.

For the past years, I have been involved with the Development and Peace, the Canadian Catholic Organization, a member organization in Canada of Caritas International is comprised of 162 Catholic organizations working for the betterment of the poor and oppressed in 198 countries and territories. During the largest typhoon in the world, Yolanda, our organization raised $12 million which was used to purchase land where portable housing was erected for the victims. Hopefully, this enabled the survivors to start anew and grow to produce, contribute to the economy of their devastated community.

Social justice does not just come from growing produce or selling them at fair prices.  I’ve always believed that it starts with elevating the livelihood of the farmers who are the poorest in any developing country. One organization is not enough on its own. There should be a partnership of government entities with non-government organizations, not necessarily involving religious organizations. While Catholic Church has done so much to send missionaries to the Philippines, me being a recipient of this missionary work through education by European missionaries, I acknowledge the presence of other non-religious organizations helping the poor in my old country. It would be nice if one day, the farmers in the Philippines are able to engage in fair trade like the coffee growers in other parts of the world.