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How are people and environments affected by the purchase of flowers from Kenya?

 

The Rift Valley of Kenya is one of the centres of flower production in the world.  The Flower market at Aalsmeer, Netherlands is the centre for world flower trade. When my Grandmother was alive, the only flowers bought came from the local environment.  There was very few in Winter. Airlines and refrigeration and pesticides have all made flowers less perishable.  Every action you make affects others.  As geographers we investigate the world around us.


THE PURPOSE OF THE ENQUIRY

is to investigate how one decision to buy something has effects on other people and the environment.  It is import to understand how people across the world are interconnected and interdependent.  

YOUR BRIEF

Your brief is to either to write a script for a documentary series called 'Taking Issue' or to write an article for the web site of the same name about the flower industry in Kenya.  You should show how the trade works.

 


The enquiry

Your article should answer the following questions.

Where are the flowers grown? Who buys and sells them?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1818000/1818653.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1820000/1820515.stm

www.worldatlas.com for more information about Kenya, Netherlands and the UK.

 

What are the benefits to Kenya?

http://www.omniflora.com/e-ken.htm

http://www.iea.or.ke/OurProblems.asp?a=7&b=7-07&c=7-7-137

http://www.kenyaweb.com/horticulture/flowers.html

 

What are the social and environmental costs?

http://society.guardian.co.uk/givinglist/story/0,10994,579457,00.html

http://www.gcw.nl/wispr/w973301.htm

http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/pn39/pn39p15.htm

http://www.earthwatch.org/expeditions/harper/harper_proj.html

What can be done about it?

http://www.nri.org/vinet/pub/etinhort.htm

http://www.kenyaflowers.co.ke/

Good Luck and if you are interested you can email me your scripts

chris.durbin@staffordshire.gov.uk