reducing development gap strategies

Discuss whether fair trade or aid is the best way for poorer countries
to develop
Fairtrade is a system of certification that aims to ensure a set of standards are
met in the production and supply of a product or ingredient. For farmers and
workers, Fairtrade means workers’ rights, safer working conditions and fairer
pay. For shoppers it means high quality, ethically produced products. This
makes is supporting the farmers that grow products such as cocoa, coffee and
bananas to become more income-secure and less vulnerable to poverty.
Fairtrade improves access to agricultural services like organic training and
premium markets. As a result, farmers have a meaning to farm better and sell
more. All of this helps out the poorer countries by overall making all of the
workers life a lot better.
Aid is assistance given from one country to another. It includes money,
equipment, training and loans. It can be foreign aid from the government of
one country to another - or from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to a
country or region. There are several different types of aid:
 Bilateral aid (also known as 'tied aid') - the country receiving the aid
must spend the money on goods and services from the country
providing it.
 Multilateral aid - high-income countries donate money through
organisations such as the United Nations and the World Bank.
 Short-term emergency aid - provides immediate support during or after
a disaster such as famine or a tsunami. It includes food, medicines and
tents.
 Long-term aid - such as education for young people, is a continuous
programme which aims to improve standards of living.
 Debt abolition - is when richer countries cancel the debt owed to them
by poorer countries.
 Non-governmental aid - aid provided via charities. This type of aid may
provide emergency relief or may support small-scale projects such as
wells to provide clean water.
Overall, I think aid is the best way for a country to develop because some low-
income countries (LICs) don’t have the correct growing environment for fair
trade plants such as cocoa beans and bananas.
By Jenny Chalmers