Ethics of the Kava Trade?

[hitsuzen]

Hey folks! This my first post but I've been a lurker for some time. I was wondering about how the Kava industry works. Does it have the same pitfalls that we see with coffee, such as farmers being paid subsistence wages? I know there are several people here who have been to Vanuatu, Fiji, etc... it would be interesting to hear their thoughts. Bula!

 

[infraredz]

Welcome!

@Andrew Procyk knows a lot about this subject, but I do know that in Vanuatu, there is a minimum price for a given weight of kava. This effectively makes a minimum wage for the farmers because no one needs to worry about dropping their cost too low. Now, how that price is set and what it means in a real-world situation is a different matter (for instance, how that "wage" compares to other agricultural occupations). I'd imagine that especially in Vanuatu where there is so much "regulation" by the government that the trade is much more ethical than coffee where the quality control, wages, etc are harder on the workers but that's just my impression. Reading the Vanuatu Kava Act of 2002 might shed some light on it for you: http://faolex.fao.org/docs/html/van38473.htm

 

[hitsuzen]

Thank you infraredz!

 

[kavalover]

Hitzun... Your avatar.... I LOVE IT!!! Are you a last of us fan? If so, we are going to get along just fine. A huge welcome to the boards from me!

 

[hitsuzen]

Haha thanks kavalover! Yes, I am a huge TLOU fan. Such a brilliant game. I've been playing through again on survivor, but I'm procrastinating on the bit with David and Ellie in the restaurant. It really stresses me out...