In short Fairtrade is a campaign that fights to provide a living income for farmers. It has produced a set of standards, which farmers and buyers have to adhere to.
Ensuring farmers have been paid between a minimum and premium fairtrade price for their produce, provides them with a safety net and reduces the opportunity to be undercut at any point. Of course the goal is for everyone to be paid a premium as this allows farmers to reinvest back into their community and fund sustainable farming practices. #sustainablefarming
Women have more recently become prevalent within the Fairtrade community. They have the same opportunities as men, a platform to voice their opinions and the chance to bring around positive actions that will benefit other women and girls in their locality.
This empowerment promotes gender equality which reduces discrimination and brings forward women who would like to lead in their area. It is no secret that an empowered women has a huge impact. #womenempowerment
Products that can be bought under the Fairtrade policy:
Coffee is made by around 25 million smallholder farmers. The coffee market can be unpredictable due to the growing conditions and this creates an uncertainty in price.
The more Fairtrade coffee available the better the price for you, the consumer :)
The most loved fruit in the UK is the banana, which unfortunately comes with its own social issues, including low wages, unhealthy working conditions and the use of dangerous chemicals. Fairtrade sets out to provide workers on small farm plantations with the protection of workers rights.
Tea is the most popular drink after water, we drink more than 50 billion cups of tea in the UK alone, however in tea producing countries like Kenya and Malawi children are the most malnourished and have a low life expectency. With the amount of tea being farmed they should be thriving. Fairtrade works with over 400,000 farmers to ensure price and working conditions are more than adequate, but more can certainly be done.
Here is a more recent article surrounding the life of The Fairtrade Foundation. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/23/fairtrade-ethical-certification-supermarkets-sainsburys
