Fair Trade 1: Michigan students on Lutheran World Relief tour say Nicaragua coffee farmers want respect, justice and peace

Two Northern Michigan University (NMU) students - Lisa McCarthy of Greenville, WI and Sarah Swanson of Rapid River, MI - are giving presentations across the Upper Peninsula on their recent Lutheran World Relief trip to Nicaragua during which they met with coffee farmers and learned about fair trade.
This is the first of several excerpts from their presentation.
In part 1, the students look at the role of faith communities, Nicaragua coffee farmers, and coffee cooperatives in Fair Trade movement; Northern Michigan University students talk about work that goes into growing coffee including wet mills, dry mills and the process of quality/taste testing called cupping.
The NMU students among 13 Americans on Lutheran World Relief Study Tour from January 5-12, 2009
The group visited the capitol of Managua, and the cities/villages of Matagalpa, Jinotega and La Reyna.
Fair trade ensures fair wages, and protects women's rights and human rights plus fights poverty.
Arriving at the peak of the coffee harvest, the students visited many aspects of the industry including dry mills, wet mills and coffee cooperatives.
They spoke Jan. 13, 2009 to a group at the St. Mark's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Marquette, MI.

Related links:

LWR Study Trips
http://www.lwr.org/study

Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) at Northern Michigan University (NMU)
http://www.nmulutherans.org
http://www.nmulutherans.org/newsletter.html#fragment-5
http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
http://www.elca.org
Northern Great Lakes Synod (NGLS)
http://www.nglsynod.org
http://www.nglsynod.org/about-our-synod.html
LWR Study Tour on January 5-12, 2009 - NICARAGUA: Pour Justice to the Brim:
http://www.lwr.org/study/nica

Fair Trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Fairtrade_Certification_Mark
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade