| Name of Activity |
Agristorm! |
| Why use it? |
To collect the ideas that the participants have about agriculture in tropical rainforests and that in temperate climates. |
| What you need |
Four flip charts and markers (or equivalent blackboard space and chalk) |
| How it's done |
- Ask the group to brainstorm about what things they associate with farming (tractors, corn, flat land, irrigation, etc.)
- After you have 10-15 items ask them to list things that they relate to rainforests (monkeys, big trees, deforestation, rain, heat)
- When you have 10-15 items about rainforests ask the participants if there is anything that they would like to add to either list and then ask them to compare the two list and list things that are different about each list (diversity of species, climate, soils)
- Explain to the class that agriculture, as it is practised in the North, can be very destructive to the ecosystems in the South. Finally get the class to contribute ideas about what impacts could happen if tropical forests were cleared for plantations of cocoa and sugar.
- Time: 20 minutes
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| Related Resources: |
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| Source: |
This exercise can be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. Copies should credit OpenConcept © Copyright 1999. Please feel free to use, modify and print these exercises, but do credit OpenConcept (http://www.flora.org/mike/). |
| Name of Activity |
Back to the Source |
| Why use it? |
Most small farmers in Southern Countries have no leverage when it comes to negotiating a price for their goods. This exercise illustrates how small farmers can work for less than a living wage. |
| What you need |
Enough mugs for all participants, one spoon, one box of Cocoa Camino Hot Chocolate and one box of non fairly traded Hot Chocolate (This exercise can be easily modified with other fairly traded products [like Cocoa Camino's Cocoa Powder]). |
| How it's done |
Do both exercises, enjoy the cocoa and discuss it afterwards.
- Unfairly Traded Goods
- Divide the group so that there is one consumer, one retailer, one wholesaler, one manufacturer, one purchaser, leaving the rest of the participants as small farmers.
- Hand out the mugs to everyone and explain that we will be working back from the consumer to the producer to illustrate how most trade is done. In this exercise, the cocoa represents both the product and the resources that go into buying and selling it.
- Give the consumer the box of non fairly traded hot chocolate and ask them to follow the package and put two scoops for their mug of cocoa, then get them to hand it to the retailer. The retailer then takes two scoops and hands it to the traders.
- Because the traders have a monopoly each trader can take as much hot chocolate as they like, as long as they pass on what they think will be enough for the remaining participants.
- When the cocoa gets to the small farmers, they must divide it amongst themselves equally.
- Everyone then adds hot water to their drinks and enjoys their hot chocolate.
- Fairly Traded Goods
- Taking the above roles, ask that everyone get together to look at how to divide the Cocoa Camino Hot Chocolate to ensure that all of the people involved in producing and distributing the powder get equal shares while still leaving enough for the consumer to have a good cup of hot chocolate.
- Discussion
- Ask the participants how this reflects their understanding of international trade. Does this reflect reality?
- Note: In theory the first exercise the small farmers should be left with enough so that there isn't enough for them to have a good drink of hot chocolate while in the second one everyone should have enough to have some.
- Time: 20 minutes
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| Variation: |
A similar process could be done using Cocoa Camino's Cocoa Powder. |
| Related Resources: |
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| Source: |
This exercise can be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. Copies should credit OpenConcept © Copyright 1999. Please feel free to use, modify and print these exercises, but do credit OpenConcept (http://www.flora.org/mike/). |
