Editorial - Kirsty Walton

Welcome to the Spring Edition of the Development in Action Magazine. It’s bursting with contributions from past volunteers, members, trustees and supporters all interested in issues of ethical consumerism, fair-trade, and sustainability. It comes after the recent annual Fairtrade Fortnight pioneered by the Fairtrade Foundation, which marked an increase in sale of Fairtrade products in the UK to half a billion pounds. As an important driver of development, I hope awareness of what fairtrade is will continue to grow in the coming year.

Ruth Bergan begins this edition with a detailed account of the difficulties faced by Homeworkers in the leather shoe industry. Many workers are paid 50 cents for a pair of shoes that retails at 100 Euros. Struggling to stitch shoes on demand, these workers need help to negotiate proper working conditions. Read on for details of the Homeworkers UK campaign which fights to get these workers a fair deal.

Iain Hughes, recently returned from Indore, observes the changing face of retail in India. Is India going the same way as the Wal-Mart and Tesco dominated industries in the US and UK? This issue is prompting protests in rural India, where local food producers feel they are being held to ransom by the expanding supermarket chains that over-package and under-price their produce. Can India learn from the unsustainable food supply patterns in the west and legislate to protect their local street vendors?

Tom Salisbury examines a crucial development initiative at work in our partner organisation ASA in Madhya Pradesh; a microfinance scheme. In this new world of credit crunch in the U.S and seemingly looming banking crises elsewhere, obtaining finance is not something anyone can take for granted. However across India women’s Self Help Groups can get the small loans they need to become financially independent and provide for their families.

Sarah Lee tackles an equally important issue in a refreshingly honest way. As a textiles graduate soon to work begin her work with weavers & jewellery makers in Orissa & Tamil Nadu, Sarah explores the dilemmas faced by designers in their quest to work ethically and sustainably. Clothing is arguably an area where the ethically-minded among us still struggle to consume in the right way. Read on for an insight into how textiles work really can help tackle poverty in the developing world.

Finally, to discuss our consumer habits, Tom Wilmot, our previous editor, gets his thoughts on the issue out in the open. He questions our habits and attitudes, arguing that the choice can go beyond where we buy, but whether we buy at all. With an ever-expanding population it is ethical at all to consume in the way we’ve become accustomed to in the west?

Last but not least we have a book review by Sarah Cunningham of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. This fascinating book is likely to be of interest for anyone interested in Afghanistan and the difficulties faced by its people. We’re always interested in books that deal with salient political and development issues; all reviews (and articles) are welcome so be inspired!

2008 is an exciting time for DiA and we hope our supporters and volunteers will continue to be involved and active. I welcome comments on this issue – now possible through our blogger format, which we are piloting as a step towards developing a more interactive magazine.

Kirsty Walton
DiA magazine editor