Making The World A Better Place
Fairtrade is a global movement that ensures products are developed to a rigorous economical, societal, and environmentally conscious standard. Aiming to encourage sustainable development through equitable trading relationships, that ensure consumer confidence, in ethically grown, harvested produce that protects the environment, improves lives, benefits communities and empowers producers and their families.
Each August, the fairtrade fortnight shines a spotlight on the challenges faced by producers, agricultural workers and labourers in developing countries as well as the supply chains they exist in. In celebration of the pivotal work Fairtrade does globally, Moral Fairground, hosted a Film Screening and Discussion Panel of comprised of Molly Harriss Olson, Sarah Morse, Dr. Zeny Edwards and Nicole Lamond all thought leaders, advocates and champions of ethical business enterprises dedicated to “Making The World A Better Place” by reforming an exploitative trading structure, advocating corporate responsibility in the eradication of modern slavery, and emphasising the importance of gender parity and the elimination of child labour.
In light of the current global pandemic, consumers and corporations alike have the opportunity to redefine the systems that constitute our lives, the future is at stake and “normal” proved not to be enough. Everyone plays a pivotal role in the conversation, and possess the power to impact communities domestically and globally. Choosing Fairtrade products is a simple way you can support change for farmers and workers trying to thrive in tough market conditions, and investing in strengthening their businesses and communities.
Moral Fairground is proud to support Fairtrade,who are ensuring that fairness to farmers, families and the environment are a key part of everything they do.
When you shop, look for the Fairtrade Mark to make a positive mark on people and the planet. The recording of our power-packed panelist’s discussion will be available on the Moral Fairground Youtube on the 15th of October. In the meantime below are the real-life stories of the positive impact of Fairtrade.
Fair Trade and Gender Parity
Around 60-80 percent of the world’s food is grown by women. Yet they often don’t own the land and see little of the profit made from it. Fairtrade works to address this gender gap.
Fairtrade set up the Women’s School of Leadership, in Cote D’Ivoire, to support female farmers to generate more income through smarter farming, and give them the confidence and skills to set up businesses and be leaders in the Fairtrade certified cocoa cooperatives that they are part of and in their local communities.
The program launched in May 2017 and the first group of 19 women and 3 men joined the school. Men are also students on the course, working to become gender champions and help spread the word in communities of the benefits of equality and how women can positively contribute to the local economy.
Through my participation in the School, everything changed. I realised how much I could do for my cooperative, my community and my personal projects. For me, Fairtrade is a label which fights for the well being of the producers, a movement that gives producers the opportunity to decide their own futures. It is also a system where the producers are, at the same time, Beneficiaries and owners.
– Julienne Assoko producer, Cooperative Capressa.
Fairtrade is helping to challenge the gender gap, enabling women to stake their claim and succeed on their own terms.
Fairtrade Standards are designed to prevent gender inequality, increase female participation, and empower more women and girls to access the benefits of Fairtrade.
Fair Trade and the Planet
Farmers are on the front line of climate change. For millions of farming families and communities worldwide, the impacts of climate change are a daily reality.
Fairtrade farmers, producers, and workers are becoming more resilient to climate change, They can do this by spending the Fairtrade Premium – that’s the extra money they get from sales of Fairtrade certified crops and products – on projects such as tree planting, irrigation, crop diversification and clean energy, which are more sustainable on a local level but also contribute to the global fight against climate change. Fairtrade farmers and workers decide for themselves how the Premium money is spent because it is they who know best what they need to become more resilient.
Kenya is listed among the top 20 countries most affected by climate change and studies show that tea growing areas in Kenya are set to lose around 40% of the land suitable for tea planting due to climate change. Farmers and workers, and all of us, can’t afford to sit around and wait for global leaders to take action.
The Sireet Tea Outgrowers Cooperative in Kenya represents over 6,000 small-scale Fairtrade farmers already feeling the impact of climate change – who have no other option but to find a solution to climate change challenges.
As a Fairtrade cooperative, The Sireet Tea Outgrowers Cooperative received training on climate change risks and ways to adapt.
The experience showed that knowledge is power indeed, especially for the farmers who now feel they can take action and also pass their knowledge onto others
– Victor Biwot, Operations Manager at Sireet Tea Outgrowers
Victor Biwot, operations manager at Sireet Fairtrade tea Cooperative in Kenya in the tea fields.
Esther Bor, 56, member of Sireet OEP and works on the farm of Luke Metto, as a tea plucker