Transition Times: Why does Chris Martin believe so strongly in fair trade? Because so many of the people who grow our food struggle to make a living, writes Gráinne Faller

Chris Martin of Coldplay is one of those celebrities with both ardent fans and sneering detractors. People either love him or hate him. Fans admire his sensitivity, his clean living and his macrobiotic lifestyle, but he gets a lot of criticism for being whiny and boring. To some, he and Gwyneth Paltrow are to be praised for their solid marriage and devotion to their daughter, Apple, but others ridicule them for naming their child after a piece of fruit.

Whichever camp you fall into, there's no denying that the man chooses his causes carefully. Perhaps something of a wannabe Bono, Martin has been trying to raise awareness about fair trade for a long time. These days it has all sorts of celebrity supporters, but he was there before most, making sure that the Fairtrade logo was a prominent feature of many Coldplay performances.

That, at least, is something to be admired. Fair trade is a development idea that makes sense whatever way you look at it. It is not about charity. It is simply about ensuring justice - about people who do an honest day's work getting the money they are entitled to. The movement was born with the realisation that people in the developing world are poor not because they can't farm, or because their produce is not of a high enough standard, but because they can't get a fair price for their produce or labour.

Charity has its place, but if it goes on for too long it can do more damage than good. People can become dependent on the money or goods they receive, and it certainly does nothing for their self-worth. As any development worker can tell you, the best way for people to escape a life of poverty is for them to do it themselves.

The fair-trade movement began when development agencies started to buy produce from farmers at fair prices, selling it on in the developed world. After a couple of years, they decided to make the scheme more commercial. The Fairtrade mark was a way to enable companies to get involved. They can use the mark - a guarantee to the consumer - if they buy products from registered Fairtrade producers according to Fairtrade guidelines.

The idea of what fair trade is depends on the kind of worker involved. For small farmers, a fair market price for their produce is the most important goal, so Fairtrade rules guarantee that they receive it. To workers on a tea plantation, however, fair wages and safe working conditions are paramount, so there are standards that employers must fulfil for their employees before Fairtrade will endorse their produce.

Fairtrade products come with the guarantee that the workers who produced them in the developing world were treated fairly, whether they are small farmers or workers in a big company.

Globally, fair trade is a growth area. In the US, Fairtrade coffee sales have grown by an average of 72 per cent a year since 1999; in Ireland, sales of Fairtrade products are growing by 50 per cent a year.

Overall, sales of Fairtrade products worldwide have been rising by about 40 per cent a year. Ireland is catching on, and many communities are working on meeting the criteria needed to become Fairtrade towns. So far, eight have succeeded. Clonakilty was the first, followed by Cork, Galway, Waterford, Kilkenny, Kinsale, Limerick and Thurles. At least 30 more towns are working towards Fairtrade status.

Remarkably, the initial driving force behind some of the initiatives came not from development organisations or politicians but from transition-year students.

This year, pupils at Tullamore College, in Co Offaly, have decided to set their town on the Fairtrade road. They have formed a committee and are organising all sorts of activities to raise awareness. "We are getting petitions signed around town," says Andrew Maloney, who is involved in the project. "We're hoping to get at least 2,000 signatures."

They also held a coffee morning. "We made quite a good profit on that, which we donated to the Centre for Independent Living," says Andrew. "Fairtrade helps people to help themselves, and the Centre for Independent Living does the same. So we thought it was appropriate."

They are also encouraging shops to stock Fairtrade products and trying to convince businesses to use them.

Peter Gaynor, director of Fairtrade Mark Ireland, is in no doubt about the importance of students in raising this kind of awareness. "When you think about it, 70,000 students take the CSPE [ civic, social and political education] exam in the Junior Cert, which means that about 30,000 would have answered the Fairtrade question last year," he says. "Schools and students often run Fairtrade tuck shops, and students can also encourage their parents to use Fairtrade products."

To earn Fairtrade's blessing, a town must meet six requirements, one of which is to get the local council involved. Andrew and his classmates at Tullamore College met Molly Buckley, their council representative, who invited them to speak at this week's council meeting. Last year students at Scoil Chríost Rí, in Portlaoise, made their mark by speaking at a council meeting and getting councillors to adopt their application to make Portlaoise a Fairtrade Town.

The students are still involved in ensuring that the town meets the requirements. Laura Hackett says: "We're going to talk to the council again this year, but we don't have a date for that yet." The idea is beginning to gain momentum in Portlaoise, and other schools and the local church are getting involved. "We got the hairdresser to serve Fairtrade tea and coffee recently," says Laura.

As well as getting the local council to pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade and getting them to serve Fairtrade tea and coffee at their meetings, in order to become Fairtrade towns, Portlaoise and Tullamore have to form committees to ensure the process continues.

Other requirements include getting shops to stock Fairtrade products, persuading schools, businesses and organisations to use the products and gaining media coverage of the process, in order to raise awareness of the issues surrounding fair trade. Nora Fitzgibbon of Scoil Chríost Rí says: "Businesses have been very helpful, and we've managed to promote it through the local radio."

Students in Tullamore have found themselves in a similar situation. "The reception has been very good," says Andrew Maloney. "We have gone to a few shops about it. They have been very enthusiastic." Last week, Andrew and his classmates made a presentation at a VEC meeting to highlight the importance of fair trade.

It is a big commitment, as the girls in Portlaoise found out. "You have to be dedicated," says Laura Moylan. "It takes up a lot of time - lunchtimes and things like that. It's a big commitment." Her classmate Aisling Gleeson believes it's all worth it, though. "Just knowing that you're making a difference is great," she says.

This is the first week of Fairtrade fortnight, and Andrew Maloney believes it's a great opportunity for people to explore the range and the quality of Fairtrade products in general. "We tested Fairtrade products against normal products, and we found that in most cases the quality of the Fairtrade products was actually better."

For Andrew and his classmates, there is a long road of lobbying, surveys and media campaigns ahead as they encourage businesses to help them make Tullamore a Fairtrade Town. They believe it's worth the effort. "It's so important," says Andrew. "It's very easy to help people in their day-to-day lives. With Fairtrade, you're helping people straight away."

To find out more, visit www.fairtrade.ie