crs chocolate lesson plans

7/29/2019 CRS Chocolate Lesson Plans

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CHOCOLATE

PROJECTFair Trade andCatholic Social Teaching

Photo

courtesyofEqualExchange

Lesson Plansfor Grades 1-12


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CONTENTS
http://www.crsfairtrade.org/


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Catholic Relief Services and

FAIR TRADECHOCOLATE

Thank You!

Tank you or participating in the CRS Fair radeprogram. Trough your actions you are helpingcocoa armers in developing countries secure a moresustainable livelihood or themselves and their amilies,and building a more just economy or all!


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Help your community. Help your world!Fundraising is about more than dollars. Its about bringing yourcommunity together to support worthy projects that improve our lives.Your undraiser can have twice the impact when you Raise MoneyRight. A CRS Raise Money Right Fair rade chocolate undraiser helps

your community raise unds while helping cocoa armers around theworld have a better lie. Now what could be sweeter than that? Fair Trade

ChocolateFundraising

Fair Trade chocolate fundraising means:

Ensuringcocoafarmersarepaidafairpricefortheircocoa

Fundraising with Fair rade chocolate means that the armers are guaranteed a air priceor the cocoa that goes into your chocolate bars. No exploitative child labor is allowed andthe cocoa armers can aord to send their children to school. A Fair rade premium ispaid to the cocoa cooperative to und social projects, like education and health programs,in their own communities.

LearningaboutFairTradeandhowitreectsCatholicSocialTeaching

Our Bishops remind us inEconomic Justice for Allthat, Consumers are moral agentsin economic lie, by our choices we enhance or diminish economic opportunity,community lie, and social justice. A Fair rade chocolate undraiser createsopportunities to respond to this call. CRS Fair rade oers educational resources or yourgroup to learn more about the link between Fair rade and Catholic social teaching.

RaisingfundswhilesupportingthemissionofFairTradecompanies

Te CRS Fair rade program partners with ully committed Fair rade organizations tobring you Raise Money Right. Our partners, Equal Exchange and SERRV, are working hardto create a just economic trading system and to provide your community with practicalkits to organize your undraiser. Also, with each Raise Money Right undraiser, EqualExchange and SERRV make a donation to the CRS Fair rade Fund. Tese unds arerecycled into grants that expand the Fair rade movement in the U.S. and overseas.

EnjoyingdeliciousFairTradechocolate!

Fair rade chocolate not only does good, it tastes good. Whats not to enjoy about high-quality Fair rade chocolate that makes lie sweeter or cocoa armers aroundthe world?!

For more information on how to

Raise Money Right or to order

chocolate, visit www.crsfairtrade.org.

Product photos courtesy o Equal Exchange and SERRV


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Lesson plan

GRADES 1-3

For all thePrinciples o

Catholic socialteaching, go to

page 12.

Principle of Catholic Social Teaching:

Dignity of the Human PersonAll humanity has been made in the image o God. Through ouractions we must express that each person is precious and thatthe lives and welare o all people are priorities.

1. Read and explain the Catholic social teaching principle oDignity o the Human Person.

2. Lead students in a discussion about what it means to live in away which respects our human dignity. Ask them what theyneed in their lives to eel they are living a lie God would want

or them? (Give some examples, ood, shelter, amily)

3. Point out the Dominican Republic on a map. Ask the studentsi they know anything about that country or what they think itmight be like to live there.

4. Show one or two videos o students, like Franklin and Abelin the Dominican Republic, on the Equal Exchange Youubechannel, http://www.youtube.com/user/equalexchange.

5. Ask the students to think about whether the needs theylisted would change, or stay the same, i they lived in anothercountry.

6. Have the students compare their lives with that o the studentin the video using the examples they came up with earlier. Arethe needs o people in the U.S. dierent or the same as peoplein another country? Why do you think that is?
http://www.youtube.com/user/equalexchangehttp://www.youtube.com/user/equalexchange


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Fair Trade Principle:

Payment of a Fair Price

Fair Trade guarantees armers a air price or their products

one that covers their costs o production and meets the basicneeds o their amilies and them.

1. Ask students to brainstorm ideas about what theword air means to them and list some ideas onthe board. In reerence to the previous discussionabout human dignity, ask students to give exampleso unair situations that disrespect someones human dignity.For example, not being able to go to school, not having accessto ood or shelter, etc.

2. Write Fair rade on the board and ask or volunteers toshare what they think it is. Explain to the class that Fair radeis a system that works to ensure that cocoa armers in othercountries, like the parents o the students they watched inthe video, receive air wages or the work that they do. Readstudents the Fair rade Principle o Payment o a Fair Price.

3. Divide students into groups and have them develop a list oneeds they would be able to meet or themselves and theiramilies i they receive a air wage or their work. Ater 5minutes, ask the groups to share their thoughts with the class.

Closing Discussion1. ell students that Catholic Relie Services, the international

humanitarian agency o the Catholic community in the U.S.,works in more than 100 countries on projects that help thoseliving in poverty meet their basic needsand respect their human dignity.

2. Buying Fair rade products, likechocolate, is one way people in theU.S. can act in ways that respect othershuman dignity.

3. Invite students to give some exampleso how they can act in ways that respectthe dignity o others.

For a ull description o theFair rade Principles, go topage 13.


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Lesson plan

GRADES 4-6


Solidarity

We are one human amily, regardless o our dierences. Answering the callto love our neighbors will promote a culture o respect and lead to peace inour communities around the world.

1. ell students to take a minute to think about all the people theyrelate to during their day.

2. Ask them to pick an item rom each o the ollowing categories:

a. A piece o technology (cell phone, computer, iPod)

b. A physical space (house, class room, grocery store)

c. Something they eat or drink (vegetables, tea, a chocolate bar)

3. On 3 separate sheets o paper, have them write me in the centerand circle it. Ten have students surround the circled me withall the people that item connects them to, using a line to illustratethe physical distance those people have to the student. Encouragestudents to think broadly.

4. Ater students are nished, ask them to share some examples o thepeople they are connected to:

a. Were any o the people theyre connected to living overseas, likea armer or actory worker?

b. Do they eel dierently about those people now that they knowthey are somehow a part o their lives?

5. Explain the Catholic social teaching principle o Solidarity.

6. Given the exercise, ask students i they eel their notion o who lives in their world has

changed? Ask students to give some examples o how the choices they make in their livescan positively or negatively aect people in their world that they dont personally know.

7. Play the video o Jennier Ooriwaa-Kusi, Divine Chocolate: Getting an Education on theDivine Chocolate Youube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChoc.

8. Ask students to consider how the positive choices they make have a trickledown eectusing Jenniers story as an example. For instance, by living in solidarity with cocoaarmers and purchasing a Fair rade chocolate bar, this action has positively aectedwho? (Jennier, Jenniers ather, other children in her village, i she becomes a nurse thenJennier will help sick people in her community, etc.)

MEDEXTER(my dog)

HOMEBUILDER

MYSISTER

MOM& DAD

THELANDLORD

ELECTRICALWORKER

MY HOME

For all thePrinciples oCatholic socialteaching, go topage 12.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChochttp://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChoc


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Capacity Building

Under the Fair Trade system, armers oten receive access to technicalassistance, such as market inormation, product eedback and fnancialmanagement through their relationship with Fair Trade businesses inthe North.

1. Briey explain that Fair rade works to connect armers and artisans in poorer countries with thecompanies that sell their products in order to create successul long-term business relationships.Review the Fair rade principle o Capacity Building.

2. ell the students that they will be developing their own chocolate product to sell overseas. Divide thestudents into groups o 4 or 6.

3. Hal o the groups should develop a make-believe country, with a name, climate, and a generaldescription o the likes and dislikes o the culture, including tastes and avors. Have them decidehow much they are willing to spend on a chocolate bar.

4. Te other hal o the groups will represent a cocoa cooperative/chocolate company. Tey should

develop an idea or a chocolate bar they think people will like and decide how much money they willcharge or the bar. ell them that $0.75 o the price o their bar o chocolate goes to the productiono the bar and will not be a part o their prots.

5. Pair the groups, matching one country with one cocoa cooperative/chocolate company. Have thecocoa group explain to the newly ormed country the chocolate product they have developed to sellto them.

6. Have the students discuss as a group whether or not this product would sell well to the citizens othe new country based on their likes and dislikes.I it will not sell well, allow the cocoa group tomodiy their product based on the inormationtheyve learned about the new country.

a. Students may be as creative or realistic as they

wish. For example, i the country tended to preerspicy oods, the group may decide to create a spicypepper chocolate bar.

7. Each group should then present their chocolateproducts to the class and state why they chosethat product and how their cooperation with eachother demonstrated the Fair rade principle oCapacity Building.

Closing Discussion1. Explain to students that Catholic Relie Services

helps Catholics in the U.S. support Fair rade cocoa armers. By doing this, Catholics can learnabout the people who produce the cocoa that we eat in our chocolate bars. Cocoa armers benetrom technical assistance that helps them make more appealing products, and thereore benet romthe sales o their product.

2. Ask students how their discussion about the chocolate bar demonstrates the Catholic social teachingprinciple o Solidarity?

3. Have the students share their thoughts about how living in solidarity with our brothers and sistersaround the world benets us all.



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Lesson plan

GRADES 7-8

For all thePrinciples o

Catholic socialteaching, go topage 12.


Community and Participation

Human beings are not only sacred, but social. How weparticipate in our amily and community, rom our daily actionsto our policy decisions, aects each and every person.

1. Read the story o Comort Kumeah and have studentsunderline all the dierent communities o which Comort is apart.

2. I you have access to the internet, watch the video o Comortsstory Divine Chocolate: Empowerment or Women on DivineChocolate Youube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChoc. Have students take notes on the variouscommunities Comort is involved in.

3. Explain the Catholic social teaching principle o Community

and Participation.4. Ask them to give examples o how Comorts actions have

contributed to the common good at the local level, nationallevel and international level.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChochttp://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChochttp://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChochttp://www.youtube.com/user/DivineChoc


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Comfort KumeahStory courtesy o Divine Chocolate.

Comort Kumeah lives in the

small town o Mim in theAshanti region o Ghana. Sheis a member o Kuapa Kokoococoa growers cooperative andwas recently elected the nationalsecretary or the Kuapa KokooFarmers Union and the chair othe Farmers rust.

Comort is a mother o ve anda grandmother. She teachesat her local primary schoolas well as arming cocoa. Herclassroom o kindergartnersoten exceeds 120 students. Sheworks on the arm whenever sheisnt teaching, on Saturdays andduring the school holidays.

Beore air trade, we growerswere cheated. People adjustedthe scales. We got little moneyrom the purchasing clerksand no bonuses. Te growerswelare was neglected. I joinedKuapa Kokoo because I sawit was the only cooperative

which could solve some o ourproblems they trade withoutcheating, with the welare othe growers at heart. Tere aremany problems with poverty.During the lean season thereis no money. Now there is aCredit Union we can borrowto keep our arms. Te AnnualGeneral Meeting is also verygood. Growers make their owndecisions... and we are proud oour chocolate company Divinewhich gives us power and a

dividend.

In the rst year the dividend wasshared among armers equally,all members received $1. Last

year the armers decided the Divine dividend should be used to purchase machetes. So 38,000machetes were bought and distributed to members there were durbars in some communities tocelebrate and there was press and V coverage o members receiving the machetes.

Comort Kumeah has visited UK or Fair rade Fortnight, and to celebrate the rst Decade oDivine. She also visited the US or the Valentines Day 2007 launch o Divine Chocolate Inc.


Creating Opportunities forEconomically DisadvantagedProducers

The Fair Trade system supports marginalized small

producers, whether these are independent amilybusinesses, or grouped in associations or co-operatives. By working together, cooperatives andassociations provide cultural, social and economicbenefts to entire communities. Profts are otendistributed more equally, and a portion o these proftsis reinvested in community projects, such as healthclinics, schools and literacy training. Farmers alsodevelop long-term relationships with businesses inthe North, which provides economic stability or thecommunity.

1. Explain the concept o a Fair rade cooperative.

2. Based on Comorts story, ask the students to describe the cultural, social andeconomic benets her community has experienced due to their participationin a cooperative.

3. Ask students to identiy any cooperatives or associations in their community.I they can not think o any, what groups in the community mightdemonstrate some o the same elements o these organizations. For example,cooperative grocery stores, unions, student and town councils, neighborhoodassociations. Have students answer the ollowing questions:

a. How do their communities benet rom cooperatives and associations?

b. Based on what theyve learned about American history, why are theseorganizations and similar civic and worker groups important to Americansociety?

c. Why would the benets o a cooperative be important to a communitysuering rom high levels o poverty, like Comorts community in Ghana?

Closing Discussion1. Catholic Relie Services works in over 100 countries on projects that help

individuals build stronger, healthier communities.

2. Ask students what daily actions they can take toimprove their community.

3. What daily actions can they take to improve

communities in other countries?

For a ulldescription othe Fair radePrinciples, goto page 13.

P h o t o c o u r t e s y o f S E R R V

Comort Kumeah


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Lesson plan

GRADES 9-12

For all thePrinciples oCatholic social

teaching, go topage 12.


Dignity of Work and Rights

of Workers

The ability to work to earn a living is a right o all people. Allworkers have the right to a air wage, to organize themselves,and to work in good conditions.

1. Read the Catholic social teaching principle Dignity o Workand Rights o Workers.

2. Ask students to compare the economies in their localcommunity, the United States, to the Dominican Republic.Statistics or the United States and the Dominican Republiccan be ound in theBackground Information section.

3. I time allows, encourage students to research unemploymentrates, population below the poverty line, and other economicdata in their own community.

4. Invite students to discuss in groups whether they eel theeconomy is serving all people by providing access to air and

sae work. As participants in the economy, what do they eeltheir rights are? Discuss as a class what actions can be taken tohelp the economy serve more people?


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Fair Trade Principles

Capacity Building

Under the Fair Trade system, armers oten receive access to technical

assistance, such as market inormation, product eedback and fnancialmanagement through their relationship with Fair Trade businesses in theNorth.

The Environment

Fair Trade orbids the use o the most hazardous pesticides,creates economic incentives or organic certifcation, and helpstrain armers in environmentally riendly production techniques.These measures are good not just or the Earth but also or armersand their amilies.

1. Read to students the description o the Fair rade principle Capacity Building.Ask them to consider what kinds o knowledge would benet cocoa growersin developing a better product and stronger business? What kinds oassistance could a Fair rade company oer an impoverished communityo cocoa growers?

2. Have students imagine that they own a Fair rade chocolate company, andhave them do a cost benet analysis on entering into a Fair rade relationshipwith a cocoa cooperative in the Dominican Republic. Have students sharewhat they elt were the costs and benets o having a trade relationship wherethey also provide support to the cocoa growers.

3. Watch the Equal Exchange video on Abel Fernandez, http://www.

equalexchange.coop/video-abel-ernandez, the sales and operations manageror a Fair rade cocoa cooperative in the Dominican Republic.

4. Again, in the role o a Fair rade chocolate company, have students listthe costs and benets o assisting the cocoa cooperative in the DominicanRepublic ater a hurricane. Allow them to share their thoughts with the class.

5. Read the description o the Fair rade principle on the Environment. Havestudents consider why training armers in environmentally riendly practiceswould be benecial or the arming community, as well as the Fair radechocolate company. Do they think cocoa cooperatives selling to Fair radecompanies would be better able to respond to the eects o climate change?Why or why not?

Closing Discussion1. Explain to students that the CRS Fair rade program invites Catholics to

purchase airly trade coee, chocolate and handcrats.

2. Reecting on your earlier discussion o ways to make the economy work ormore people, ask students to discuss how their daily purchases can positivelyor negatively impact the lives o armers living in impoverished countries.

http://www.equalexchange.coop/video-abel-fernandezhttp://www.equalexchange.coop/video-abel-fernandezhttp://www.equalexchange.coop/video-abel-fernandezhttp://www.equalexchange.coop/video-abel-fernandez


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BACkGROuND

INFORmATIONFor Lesson Plans

Catholic Social TeachingCatholic social teaching is at the coreo our aith and can be seen as a guideor how we should live our lives. As theCatechism o the Catholic Church states,Te Churchs social teaching proposesprinciples or reection; it provides criteriaor judgment; it gives guidelines or action(no. 2423). In this way, one can nd manylinks between air trade and Catholicsocial teaching.


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The Principles of Fair Trade(as dened by the Fair rade Federation)

Opportunities forEconomically Disadvantaged ProducersPoverty reduction through trade orms a key part o the organizations aims. Te organizationsupports marginalized small producers, whether these are independent amily businesses, orgrouped in associations or co-operatives. It seeks to enable them to move rom income insecurityand poverty to economic sel-sufciency and ownership. Te trade supports communitydevelopment. Te organization has a plan o action to carry this out.

Transparency and AccountabilityTe organization is transparent in its management and commercialrelations. It is accountable to all its stakeholders and respects the sensitivityand condentiality o commercial inormation supplied. Te organization

nds appropriate, participatory ways to involve employees, membersand producers in its decision-making processes. It ensures that relevantinormation is provided to all its trading partners. Te communication

channels are good and open at all levels o the supply chain.

Trading PracticesTe organization trades with concern or the social, economic andenvironmental well-being o marginalized small producers and does notmaximize prot at their expense. It is responsible and proessional inmeeting its commitments in a timely manner. Suppliers respect contractsand deliver products on time and to the desired quality and specications.

Fair rade buyers, recognising the nancial disadvantages producersand suppliers ace, ensure orders are paid on receipt o documents and

according to the attached guidelines. An interest ree pre payment o atleast 50% is made i requested.

Where southern Fair rade suppliers receive a pre payment rom buyers,they ensure that this payment is passed on to the producers or armers whomake or grow their Fair rade products.

Buyers consult with suppliers beore canceling or rejecting orders. Whereorders are cancelled through no ault o producers or suppliers, adequatecompensation is guaranteed or work already done. Suppliers and producersconsult with buyers i there is a problem with delivery, and ensurecompensation is provided when delivered quantities and qualities do notmatch those invoiced.

Te organization maintains long term relationships based on solidarity,

trust and mutual respect that contribute to the promotion and growth oFair rade. It maintains eective communication with its trading partners.

Parties involved in a trading relationship seek to increase the volume o the trade betweenthem and the value and diversity o their product oer as a means o growing Fair rade or theproducers in order to increase their incomes. Te organization works cooperatively with the otherFair rade Organizations in country and avoids unair competition. It avoids duplicating thedesigns o patterns o other organizations without permission.

Fair TradeFair rade operates in many countriesaround the world, including Ghana, theDominican Republic, Nicaragua, Belize,Bolivia, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador,Peru, Cte dIvoire, and Haiti. Te Fairrade system provides an alternativeto the business-as-usual model. Underthis system small-scale armers ormcooperatives and sell their cocoa underFair rade terms to buyers in Europe,North America and Asia. Buyers andarmer cooperatives draw-up long-termcontracts in which they agree on pricesand quantities o cocoa to be bought. Tisprovides more stability or small-scale

armers since they are assured a marketover the long-term. All buyers seekingFair rade cocoa guarantee a minimumprice to armers. Te armers cooperativesre-invest a portion o their prots intotheir communities by unding variousdevelopment projects, including theimprovement o educational and healthservices and the development o newproduction techniques, which are moreecologically sound. In this way, growersand their amilies are ensured a moresustainable l ivelihood.


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Payment of a Fair PriceA air price is one that has been mutually agreed by all through dialogue and participation,which provides air pay to the producers and can also be sustained by the market. Where Fairrade pricing structures exist, these are used as a minimum. Fair pay means provision o sociallyacceptable remuneration (in the local context) considered by producers themselves to be air andwhich takes into account the principle o equal pay or equal work by women and men. Fair rademarketing and importing organizations support capacity building as required to producers, toenable them to set a air price.

Child Labour and Forced LabourTe organization adheres to the UN Convention on the Rights o the Child, and national / locallaw on the employment o children. Te organization ensures that there is no orced labour in itsworkorce and / or members or homeworkers.

Organizations who buy Fair rade products rom producergroups either directly or through intermediaries ensurethat no orced labour is used in production and theproducer complies with the UN Convention on the Rightso the Child, and national / local law on the employment ochildren. Any involvement o children in the productiono Fair rade products (including learning a traditionalart or crat) is always disclosed and monitored and doesnot adversely aect the childrens well-being, security,educational requirements and need or play.

Non Discrimination, Gender Equityand Freedom of AssociationTe organization does not discriminate in hiring,remuneration, access to training, promotion, terminationor retirement . . . .

Te organization provides opportunities or women and men to develop their skills andactively promotes applications rom women or job vacancies and or leadership positions inthe organization. Te organization takes into account the special health and saety needs opregnant women and breast-eeding mothers. Women ully participate in decisions concerning

the use o benets accruing rom the production process. Te organization respects the right oall employees to orm and join trade unions o their choice and to bargain collectively. Wherethe right to join trade unions and bargain collectively is restricted by law and/or politicalenvironment, the organization will enable means o independent and ree association andbargaining or employees. Te organization ensures that representatives o employees are notsubject to discrimination in the workplace.

Organizations working directly with producers ensure that women are always paid or theircontribution to the production process, and when women do the same work as men they are paidat the same rates as men. Organizations also seek to ensure that in production situations wherewomens work is valued less highly than mens work, womens work is re-valued to equalize payrates and women are allowed to undertake work according to their capacities.

Working ConditionsTe organization provides a sae and healthy working environment or employees and / ormembers. It complies, at a minimum, with national and local laws and ILO conventions on healthand saety.

Working hours and conditions or employees and / or members (and any homeworkers) complywith conditions established by national and local laws and ILO conventions.

Fair rade Organizations are aware o the health and saety conditions in the producer groupsthey buy rom. Tey seek, on an ongoing basis, to raise awareness o health and saety issues andimprove health and saety practices in producer groups.


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Capacity BuildingTe organization seeks to increase positive developmental impacts or small, marginalisedproducers through Fair rade.

Te organization develops the skills and capabilities o its own employees or members.Organizations working directly with small producers develop specic activities to help theseproducers improve their management skills, production capabilities and access to markets local/ regional / international / Fair rade and mainstream as appropriate. Organizations which buyFair rade products through Fair rade intermediaries in the South assist these organizations todevelop their capacity to support the marginalized producer groups that they work with.

Promotion of Fair TradeTe organization raises awareness o the aim o Fair rade and o the need or greater justicein world trade through Fair rade. It advocates or the objectives and activities o Fair radeaccording to the scope o the organization. Te organization provides its customers withinormation about itsel, the products it markets, and the producer organizations or members thatmake or harvest the products. Honest advertising and marketing techniques are always used.

EnvironmentOrganizations which produce Fair rade products maximize the use o raw materials romsustainably managed sources in their ranges, buying locally when possible. Tey use productiontechnologies that seek to reduce energy consumptionand where possible use renewable energy technologiesthat minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Tey seekto minimize the impact o their waste stream on theenvironment. Fair rade agricultural commodity producers

minimize their environmental impacts, by using organic orlow pesticide use production methods wherever possible.

Buyers and importers o Fair rade products give priorityto buying products made rom raw materials that originaterom sustainably managed sources, and have the leastoverall impact on the environment.

All organizations use recycled or easily biodegradablematerials or packing to the extent possible, and goods aredispatched by sea wherever possible.


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Ghana

Population: 24,339,838

Inant Mortality: 49.89 deaths/1,000 live births

Lie Expectancy at Birth: 60.55 years

Literacy: 57.9% o total population

Government ype: Constitutional Democracy

Gross Domestic Product: $36.57 billion (2009 est.)

GDP per capita: $1,500 (2009 est.)

Labor orce: 10.33 million (2009 est.)Unemployment Rate: 11% (2000 est.)

Population BelowPoverty Line: 28.5% (2007 est.)

United States of America




Literacy: 99% o total population

Government ype: Constitution-based ederal republic

Gross Domestic Product: $14.26 trillion (2009 est.)


Labor orce: 154.2 mill ion

Unemployment Rate: 9.3% (2009 est.)

Population BelowPoverty Line: 12% (2004 est.)

Country Informationsource: U.S. government

BACkGROuND INFORmATION, continued


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Dominican Republic




Literacy: 87% o total population

Government ype: Democratic RepublicGross Domestic Product: $80.53 billion (2009 est.)


Labor orce: 4.417 mill ion (2009 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 15% (2009 est.)

Population BelowPoverty Line: 42.2% (2004)


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1#

Fair Tradingby Katy Cantrell

ObjectiveA basic game to help younger students learn the principles

o Fair rade and have un trading along the cocoasupply chain.

GROup

ACTIvITIESand Games

Age: grades 1-4

Group size: 15+

Estimated time: 25 minutes

Materials: Copies o the principles o Fair rade, 10 pennies oreach group, 10 beans or each group (coee beans or any dried beanwill work)

How to play:1. Review with the students the 10 principles o Fair rade ound

on page 13.

2. Divide students into groups o 3. Have one student in thegroup represent a cocoa armer, another represent a chocolatecompany, and the last represent a chocolate consumer.

3. Have the students stand with their group, the cocoa armerand chocolate consumer on either side o the chocolatecompany. Te chocolate company will stand in the middlewith a copy o the principles o Fair rade.

4. Explain to the students that the chocolate company will quiz

both the cocoa armer and the chocolate consumer on theprinciples o Fair rade. Once they name a principle, theyshould trade. Te cocoa armer will give the consumer a beanand the consumer will give the cocoa armer a penny. Havethe students representing the chocolate company alternatebetween the cocoa armer and the consumer when quizzingthem on the principles.

5. Te team that is able to trade all their beans rst wins. Allowthe students to change roles as they become more amiliarwith the Fair rade principles and aster at trading.


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2#

Cocoa Farming for Kidsby Meghan ODonnell and Susana Fajardo

Objectiveo teach younger children the basic oundations o cocoaproduction in a un game. Students will build a cocoa

arm using cards. Te player with the biggest arm (i.e.most Plant cards) by the end o the round wins.

Age: grades 1-3

Group size: 10+ (divided into smaller groups o 5-6)

Estimated time: 5 minutes per round, 2 rounds. Younger students may

require more time.

Materials: 60 Index cards (write ree, Seed, Labor and Water each on 15 cards,Die

How to play:1. Divide the large group into smaller groups o 5 players each.

2. Mix Seed, Labor and Water cards together. Have the ree cards in a separatestack.

3. Deal each player 5 cards rom the stack containing a mixture o Water, Labor,and Seed cards. Each player is assumed to already have land or their arm.

4. Te players should take turns rolling the die. I the die lands on a:

a. 1-3 the player should pick rom the Seeds/Labor/Water pile.

b. 5 or 6 the player has the option to trade 1 card with another student or picka card rom the Seeds/Labor/Water pile

5. For every combination o 1 Seed, 1 Labor, and 1 Water cards, the player shouldreceive a ree card. Te seed, labor, and water cards should be put back in themain stack when traded or a ree card.

6. Each ree card represents one cocoa tree. Te player with the most trees bythe end o the round is considered to have the largest arm and wins the game.


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3#

Sustainable Cocoa Bingoby Eileen Harrington

Objectiveo examine some o the environmental issues associatedwith cocoa production and recognize that as Catholics weare called to be good stewards o all li e on Earth.

Age: grades 5-7

Group size: 15+


Materials: Sustainable Cocoa Cards, Sustainable Cocoa Bingo Sheet

How to play:1. Read to students the background inormation on How Chocolate is Made.

Give each student one o the sustainable cocoa cards and a sustainable cocoabingo sheet. Depending on the size o your class, some students might have totake more than one sustainable cocoa card.

2. Each student should read the description ound on his/her card(s).

3. Students circulate around the room, and asks another student to describehim/hersel according to the acts ound on his/her card. Te rst studentthen tries to guess who the other student is, and writes the persons name onthe Bingo board in the correct space. Te rst person to get Bingo (our in arow) wins.

4. Ater playing Bingo, highlight what the dierent terms mean, and discuss thepros/cons o shade-grown cocoa. Te ollowing questions could be used as aguide:

Whataresomeofthecommonpeststhataectcocoaplants?

Whatarethebenetsofshade-growncocoa?

Whymightsomefarmersprefertogrowtheircocoainfullsunconditions?

(Higher yields)

Oftenshade-grownororganicchocolatecanbesoldatahigherprice.

Would you be willing to pay more or this type o chocolate? Why or whynot?

5. As a nal reection, have the students read the ollowing Bible passages:Genesis 1:26, Ezekiel 34:2-4 and Isaiah 24:4-6. Ask them to reect on whatthese passages tell them about their responsibilities towards the environment.Tey also can discuss how environmental problems can be connected to socialand economic problems, and why they think it is important or us to careabout how cocoa is produced.

GROup ACTIvITIESandGames, continued


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SourcesofInformation:

InternationalCenterforResearchinAgroforestry(ICRAF).Alternatives

to Slash-and-Burn: A Global Initiative. Nairobi, Kenya: ICRAF, 1995.

Myers,N;Mittermeier,R.A.;Mittermeier,C.G.;daFonseca,G.A.B.;

and Kent, J. 200 0. Biodiversity Hotspots or Conservation Priorities.

Nature 403: 853-858.

How Chocolate is Made

Chocolate is made rom cocoa beans, which grow in pods on trees. Te cocoa plant

(sometimes reerred to as cacao) is native to Central and South America and naturallygrows in the rainorest. Christopher Columbus rst brought it to Europe. Becauseit is a rainorest plant, cocoa arms are located in tropical countries ound in Arica,Latin America and Southeast Asia.

o make a bar o chocolate, you have to start on the arm. Cocoa pods grow ontrees. Cocoa trees can grow to be 12-15 meters tall . Oten, armers plant their cocoatrees with other crops, such as corn and bananas which can provide ood or theiramilies. When the cocoa pods turn yellow, they are ripe and ready to be harvested.Cocoa arm workers cut down the pods rom the vines they grow on using a cutlass(machete). Tis has to be done very careully so as not to harm the tree. Once thepods are harvested they are then careully split open and the white, damp beans areextracted. Again, this is all done very careully by hand so as not to damage the beans.Te beans are then wrapped in banana leaves and allowed to erment in the sun. Ater

ve-seven days, they are removed rom the banana leaves and placed on a drying table.Tey are then let to dry in the sun or another ve-10 days. Farmers regularly turnthe beans so that they are evenly dried, and they pick out any bad beans. Ater this thegood beans are placed in sacks and shipped by truck to the coast. When they reachthe coast, they are put on ships heading to chocolate actories in Europe or the U.S.At the actory, the beans are roasted, shelled and then smashed to acquire liquor andpowder. Tese ingredients are essential in a chocolate bar.

Cocoa is cultivated almost entirely in regions o the world that have been highlightedas biodiversity hotspotsareas with high levels o biodiversity that are also at highrisk or environmental degradation (Myers et al. 2000). In addition, around 15 millionhectares o the Earths primary orest are lost each year, most o it in the tropics. Othis, approximately 60% is lost to slash-and-burn agriculture, the rest to logging,other orms o agriculture and re (ICRAF 1995). Because o these problems, manyenvironmentalists have recommended that armers return to shade-grown cocoasystems or production. Cocoa was original ly a orest plant, but in order to increase

yields, many armers shited to planting it in ull sun, which requires higher erti lizerand pesticide inputs. Tis shit has led to increased health risks or armers andtheir amilies, contamination o soils and waterways, and loss o wildl ie habitat. Incontrast, traditional shade-grown cocoa maintains the well being o armers and theiramilies, both in terms o health and through secondary products, such as timber,rewood, ruits and medicinal plants. Also, shade cocoa protects soil and watersources, and provides important habitat or many animal species. Many o theseanimal species can also act as important pollinators and biological controls o certaininsect pests that harm cocoa plants.


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Witchs BroomWitchs broom is a disease that aects cocoa plants,which is caused by the ungus, Crinipellis pernicioisa.It deorms the branchesnew buds on main branchesgrow into shorter ones that look like a broom. Tese newgrowths start out green, but then turn brown when the

host stem dies back. At the same time, black spots appearon the pods until eventually they become entirely brownand dry, destroying the beans inside. Te disease hasattacked many trees in Central and South America. InBrazil, the production o cocoa beans has dropped rom400,000 to 100,000 tons in the last ten years largely due towitchs broom. Te main way to control it, which is not

very eective, is to remove the inected parts o the plant.

Black PodSeveral dierent types o ungiPhytophthora palmivora,Phytophthora megakarya, Phtophthora capsici andother related species--cause black pod disease, whichaects cocoa plants. Te severity o the disease variesin dierent regions. Recently, severe outbreaks o blackpod have occurred in West Arica. Te disease aects

shoots, leaves, seedlings, roots, and pods. Inected podshave a brown spore that starts out small and then spreadsover the entire pod, causing it to turn black. New sporesthat orm on the pod produce a white or yellow dustyappearance to the black surace. It usually takes teendays or the beans inside the pod to become inected so ithe pod can be harvested beore this time, the beans canbe saved. Eorts to control the disease include requentharvesting, regular pruning and the use o ungicides.

DeforestationDeorestation is the loss o native or primary orest.Deorestation can lead to high rates o nutrient lossin soils in tropical areas, since the majority o thenutrients are tied up in the plants. Also, deorestationcan cause contamination in rivers, streams and lakesdue to higher rates o soil erosion. Deorestation alsoleads to a decrease in biodiversity. Oten deorestationoccurs because o the need or more land or agriculturalpurposes or the harvesting o trees or their timber.Deorestation rates in West Arica are some o the highestin the world. It is estimated that only about 22% o theoriginal orest ound in Ghana still exists today, most o

which is ound in orest reserves. However, much o thecocoa grown in Ghana is cultivated in shade conditions,which although not entirely the same as native orest, stillprovides pockets o orest.

Cocoa TreeTe cocoa tree used or consumption comes rom thespecies Teobroma cacao. It was originally ound in theorests o Central and South America. oday cocoa iscultivated around in the world in tropical areas. Te treecan grow to a height o 8-10 meters under heavy shade.Tey oten are shorter when grown in ull sun. Teyneed humid and warm conditions, like those ound inthe tropics to grow. Cocoa trees are cauliorous, whichmeans that the owers and ruit grow directly on thetrunk and branches, rather than on the branch tips likemost ruits. Each tree can yield about 50 pods twice a

year. Te three main varieties o cocoa used in production

are Criollo, Forastero and rinitario. Criollo originatedin Central America. Forastero originally came rom theAmazon region in South America. rinitario is hybrid

variety that developed on the island o rinidad.

FermentationFermentation is one o the steps in converting cocoa

beans into chocolate. Ater cocoa pods are harvested,armers scoop out the pulp and beans inside o them.Tese are then placed in wooden boxes, sacks or barrelsand covered with banana leaves. Tey are then let in thesun or our to seven days to erment. Te beans otenchange color and the pulp liquees and is loosened romthe beans. Te longer the beans are let to erment, thebetter the avor o the chocolate.

Shade-Grown CocoaShade-grown cocoa is when the cocoa trees are cultivatedin areas with other trees. Te natural habitat o wildcocoa trees is under shade. Many o these trees are taller

than the cocoa trees, providing them with a protectiveshade that helps them maintain more moisture. Teadditional trees also add more lea litter to the area, whichadds nutrients to the soil and decreases soil erosion.Tese shade trees can also provide secondary productsto armers, such as ruits, nuts, timber and medicinalderivatives. ypical trees used in shade-grown systemsinclude, kola nut, rubber, mango, plantains, bananas andcoee.


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Cocoa PodsCocoa pods are the ruit o the cocoa tree. Each cocoatree can produce up to 50 pods twice a year, and each othese pods generally contains 20-50 cocoa beans. Tepods grow directly on the trunk and branches o the tree,not on the tips o branches. Each pod takes 5-6 monthsto mature. Dierent varieties have dierent colored andslightly dierent shaped pods. On some plants, green orgreen-white immature pods ripen to yellow pods, whileon others red immature pods darken and may developsome yellow on them.

Cocoa BeansCocoa beans are ound in the pods o cocoa trees. Tebeans are white or purple, depending on the variety, andthey change to a deep brown color ater ermentation.

Once beans are ermented, they are usually spread out onwooden tables or on the ground and dried in the sun orabout a week. Tese dried beans are then put into sacksand shipped to actories where they are roasted, husked,ground and then mixed with other ingredients to createchocolate.

Cocoa ButterCocoa butter is one o the by-products o cocoa beanprocessing. Ater the dried cocoa beans have beenhusked, the nibs that are let are crushed until they orminto cocoa liquor and cocoa butter. Tese two substancesare oten separated. Some o the cocoa butter is sold tomanuacturers o skin oils, lotions, soaps and creamsor use in their products. Some o it is re-mixed withthe cocoa liquor, along with other ingredients, to createchocolate.

PesticidesPesticides are chemicals that are applied to plants to protect themrom various types o pests. Te main types o pesticides includeinsecticides, which kill insects, ungicides, which kill ungi, andherbicides, which kill weed species. Pesticides have proven to beuseul in increasing yields or armers, but they also have side eectsthat can be harmul to both humans and other animals. Otenbecause o the heat or simply due to a lack o awareness, cocoaproducers spray their plants with pesticides without wearing properprotection, such as long-sleeved shirts, long pants, gloves, and aacemask. Tis can lead to chemical intoxications. Dierent levels ointoxication exist. Symptoms o a less severe case include: nausea,headaches, eyesight problems and tiredness. More serious casesconsist o: breathing problems, cramps, nasal discharge and ainting.Over the long-term i people are exposed to pesticides either throughapplication or simply because they live near agricultural lands, they

can ace the ollowing health problems: various types o cancer,male sterility, brain or nervous system problems, and birth deects inpregnant women. Many o the pesticides used by cocoa armers inWest Arica have been banned or restricted in developed countriesbecause o their toxicity.

Mirids or CapsidsMirids or capsids are small insects that damage cocoatrees. Tey are generally 7-11 mm long and are o

various, mainly dark colors. Te insects lay their eggs inowers, branches, pods and pod stalks. Te adults aresap-suckers, and they leave lesions on the plants wherethey have sucked sap. Many o these lesions leave theplant susceptible to ungi entering the plant. Control othese pests is oten achieved through the application opesticides. In some areas, dierent ant species have beenintroduced that eed on the mirids to control them.

Bollworms

Te bollworm is an insect that mainly attacks young,unshaded cocoa trees that are up to three years old. Telarvae eed on stem buds, and the older insects eed onleaves. Te continual harm done to buds causes the treeto not develop properly. Bollworms are extremely difcultto control, but in some areas certain insecticides are usedto control it.


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Leaf-Cutting AntsLea-cutting ants are mainly a problem in the cocoagrowing areas o Central and South America. Tey ormhuge underground nests, covering up to 0.25 hectares. In

these nests, they cultivate a ungus, which is their sourceo ood. Te ungus lives on pieces o leaves that the antsbring into the nest. Te ants can destroy a stand o plants

very quickly, removing the leaves to bring to their nests.Tey are controlled by introducing insecticides into theirnests and by the physical destruction o their nests.

MidgesMidges are small insects that act as important pollinatorsor cocoa trees. Te output o mature pods depends

largely on the amount o pollination o the plant. Somestudies have ound that planting other trees, such asbananas with cocoa trees allows or an increase in themidge population since the midges can breed in bananaplants.

Secondary CropsSecondary crops are the products o other trees andplants that are planted with cocoa trees in a shade-grown system. Tese plants can provide ground cover,temporary or permanent shade, and improve soil quality.Some common secondary crops include coconut, rubber,kola nut, black pepper, nutmeg, bananas and pineapples.

BiodiversityBiodiversity in its simplest denition is the variety andamount o plant and animals in a region. Te term canalso be dened more broadly as the totality o genes,species and ecosystems in a region. Many o the cocoagrowing regions are located in biodiversity hotspots,regions with high levels o biodiversity, which are alsoextremely threatened with destruction.


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o

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BlackPod

Deforestation

CocoaTree

Fermentation

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ocoa

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er

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orm

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ides

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4#

Fair Trade Scavenger Huntby Meghan ODonnell

Age: grades 5-6, 7-12

Group size: 10+


How to play:1. Divide the class into groups o 4-5 and tell the students they will be learning

about the Fair rade Movement through a scavenger hunt. Each group will becompeting with the other groups to see who can nd the correct inormationrst.

2. Hand out one Fair rade Scavenger Hunt worksheet to each group. Testudents should have access to the Background Inormation provided in thiscurriculum as well as internet access to nd the acts they need to ll out theworksheet.

3. Te rst group who can nd and correctly answer all the questions wins.


Answers: Fair Trade Scavanger Hunt1. Fair rade was begun in the 1940s by religious

groups and various non-governmental organizations(NGOs). en Tousand Villages, an NGO within

the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) andSERRV International were the rst, in 1946 and 1949respectively, to develop air trade supply chains indeveloping countries.

2. Fair rade oers coee, chocolate, handcrats,owers, ruits, and other products such as organicsoaps. Tese items can be purchased online or inany o the Fair rade catalogs, such as the Work oHuman Hands catalog.

3. $1,600/ton o cocoa + a $150/ton premium. I theNew York market price is above $1,600/ton, theproducers receive the higher price plus the premium.

4. Fair rade Labeling Organization International(FLO) works to ensure the proper treatment and well-being o producers by setting international Fair radestandards, promote economic justice internationally,develop global Fair rade strategy, and encouragesupport or the producers around the world.

5.

6. World Fair rade Day is the second Saturday inMay. Tis event is internationally recognized andworks to celebrate and promote Fair rades eortsto end global poverty and mistreatment o workers.

Hundreds o events will take place worldwide,including special sales o Fair rade products andairs displaying many beautiul handmade items andcrats.

7. o be Fair rade Certied means that thecooperative making the product and/or the companybuying and distributing it have met certain ethicaland environmental production standards that Fairrade uses to regulate production and trade toensure the well being o the workers and quality othe product.

8. Te Fair rade Federation is an association o

wholesalers, retailers and producers created topromote Fair rade businesses in the U.S. market.

9. Te ten principles o Fair rade are: CreatingOpportunities or Economically DisadvantagedProducers , ransparency and Accountability,rading Practices, Payment o a Fair Price, ChildLabour and Forced Labour, Non Discrimination,Gender Equity and Freedom o Association, WorkingConditions, Capacity Building, Promotion o Fairrade, and the Environment.

10. Coee, Chocolate and Handcrats

Objectiveo provide students a un and

interactive way to learn aboutthe Fair rade movement.


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Fair Trade Scavenger Hunt

Suggested Websites CRSFairTrade

http://www.crsairtrade.org

FairTradeResourceNetworkhttp://www.trn.org

FairTradeLabelingOrganization

http://www.airtrade.net

TransFairUSAhttp://www.transairusa.org

FairTradeFederationhttp://www.airtradeederation.org

Questions1. Te Fair rade certied label was launched in the 1990s. When did the concept o

Fair rade rst develop?

2. Name three products that Fair rade oers to consumers. Name two places wherethese products can be purchased.

3. What is the current minimum price that the cocoa armers will receive or theircacao beans, regardless o the market price?

4. What does FLO stand or? What do they do?

DirectionsYou may use the internet and/or thebackground inormation about cocoaproduction and Fair rade provided

to your teacher to nd the answers tothe ollowing questions. Te rst groupthat nds the correct answers to all thequestions wins.


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5. Find and give a basic pencil sketch o two Fair rade logos.

6. What date is World Fair rade Day? Describe the event.

7. What does it mean to be Fair rade Certied?

8. Who is the Fair rade Federation?

9. Name the ten principles o Fair rade.

10. Name the 3 Fair rade products promoted through the CRS Fair rade Program.

crs chocolate lesson plans

Documents