Bananas are more than an excellent source of potassium – they may also be an instrument for positive social change.In honor of Fair Trade month, DU hosted Jovanny Coronel, a member of a Fair Trade organization in Ecuador, who spoke at the Daniels College of Business last week about his first-hand experiences of the improved quality of life the Fair Trade labels allow farmers.Coronel has been a part of a group of 350 Fair Trade farmers, El Guabo, since 1997. He said that farmers who work under the Fair Trade label receive benefits such as health care, resources to improve soil, facilities and a monthly basket of food staples. Fair Trade also empowers farmers to hold the pricing line in the global produce market.”El Guabo meets once per week to discuss fair prices and the farmer’s share. [The meetings] give farmers a strong voice,” Coronel said.According to TransFair, the only Fair Trade certifier in the United States, the Fair Trade label also enables farmers to stop pesticide use, which can cause the degradation of soils and health risks such as cancer and infertility. Pesticides are replaced with more ecological fertilizing methods. Most of TransFair’s produce meets organic standards even if it is sold as a regular fruit.”Fair Trade creates a consciousness in you to do social and environmental works,” Coronel said.Another benefit of Fair Trade that Coronel mentioned is education. He said that Ecuador has high illiteracy rates, and it is almost unheard of for children to go on through high school and college, but Fair Trade groups make sure their children go to school. Fair Trade premiums make books and supplies for schooling possible, Coronel said.Coronel said that many other farmers in his area want to become part of El Guabo, but without the economic demand for Fair Trade bananas, the group cannot grow.Farmers not under Fair Trade labeling have about half the daily wages and less secure benefits, according to TransFair’s web site. An average wage of $5 a day for non-Fair Trade workers falls short of the cost of daily living, which is about $10 a day.”It’s a sad reality in Ecuador that [El Guabo] is one of the few small banana producers that can survive. The majority of farmers receive less than three cents a pound,” said Coronel.According to TransFair, 96 percent of Americans buy bananas on a regular basis, yet only 1 percent of bananas export worldwide are Fair Trade bananas. Supermarkets and shipping middlemen garner most of the selling price of non-Fair Trade bananas.In addition to Coronel speaking, TransFair showed a video that outlined the way pricing operates in Fair Trade and how Fair Trade may benefit the local growers as well as consumers. The Fair Trade logo, which is a “Bucketboy” sticker, can be found on bananas certified by Fair Trade.According to TransFair, prices have dropped over the years for consumers in the United States, but at the expense of the growers. This is a result of the so-called “sell it or smell it” principle, where supermarkets are constantly pressuring producers to decrease the price of their bananas.Students for Positive Social Change (SFPSC) and Net Impact teamed up to sponsor the event that was attended by 40 students.”TransFair emailed us and offered to come and that’s how we made this happen. [This is a way] we can get students to know why Fair Trade is good, so they will want to support it,” said Adam Buehler, a leader of SFPSC.In cooperation with TransFair, Coronel has visited universities across the United States to inform students of what they can do to make a difference in farmers’ lives around the world.Freshman Kasina Entzi attended the Fair Trade lecture, and said she believes all the students received Coronel well.”I think it was not only enjoyable but also informative. Awareness is the key. If people know that they can help, and how they can help, that benefits everybody,” she said.Fair Trade products are available in Denver, and SFPSC has also pushed for the use of Fair Trade coffees at Seattle’s Best vendors on campus. Wild Oats, a grocery store located near DU on University Blvd., sells Fair Trade bananas, coffee and chocolate. Wild Oats has sold organic Fair Trade bananas at the same price as organic bananas in the past, for 99 cents per pound. Blackberries Ice Cream & Coffee, Peaberry’s Coffee, Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts also brew Fair Trade coffee upon request.For students interested in more information about Fair Trade, visit www.transfairusa.org. To learn more about SFPSC at DU, meetings are held Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at Jazzman’s CafCB).