This is an important issue. I encourage everyone to check out the documentary “Black Gold,” by Marc Francis and Nick Francis. Please visit: www.blackgoldmovie.com/ or www.pbs.org/independentlens/blackgold/

Independent Lens will broadcast the documentary nationally on April 10, 2007. However, you can find information about local ITVS Community Cinema screenings at: www.itvs.org/outreach/blackgold/

The film is also featured Iron Weed’s monthly film festival. For more details visit: www.ironweedfilms.com/films_black_gold

this article wreaks of non-investigation.

if you look at the patient that starbucks holds – it’s not for sidamo, harrar or yergacheffe (which was successfully trademarked). it’s for ‘sun-dried shirkina’ which is a type of processing that starbucks had farmers do to their beans before buying – that is outside of the scope of how the farmers would usually process similar beans.

while i agree that there is a big impact to be said, oxfam has not given any facts or understanding of how they’ve come up with the damage that starbucks has done to the farmers of Ethiopia.

Neither side has really said how trademarking would benefit the farmers, but starbucks has repeatedly spoken of ‘certification’ that has benefited other producers financially and allowed for control (like Florida orange juice); and has been pushing for that distinction as a proven way for people to have more control over their products.

while starbucks doesn’t have the right to dictate policy to governments, it does has a proven track record of attempting to create sustainable processes for farmers in country of origin, and looking out for the interests of people who they buy from.

i stand (a little) corrected to some of the things i stated…

(although i still agree with my first paragraph, and i still think oxfam tends to make statements without any back up, but…. _sigh)

article here