Fairtrade Fortnight – Tackling the climate crisis
Fairtrade Fortnight launches on Monday 27th February, it is the flagship annual campaign of the Fairtrade Foundation which aims to raise awareness of Fairtrade, it’s importance and its benefits to farmers' families and the environment.
The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent non-profit organisation that focuses on helping to grow demand for Fairtrade products and raising public awareness of the need for Fairtrade.
But what is Fairtrade? you may ask…
‘Fairtrade works with farmers and workers so they can improve their living standards, invest in their communities and businesses, and protect our shared environment… Fair prices provide an immediate lifeline for farmers and workers struggling with low incomes and disadvantaged by global trade.’
What does Fairtrade do?
‘Fairtrade works with farming co-operatives, businesses and governments to make trade fair. Together with Fairtrade farmers and workers, we have a vision: a world in which trade is based on fairness so that producers earn secure and sustainable livelihoods. Fairtrade has a network of dedicated supporters who help to raise awareness of the issues of unfair trade and fundraise to support us in our work.’
You can read about the impact of the Fairtrade Foundation’s work here. And there is a handy FAQ page here.
This year the Fairtrade Fortnight campaign highlights the message that whatever your budget and wherever you shop, when you choose Fairtrade, you support farmers to take care of the environment through Fairtrade’s price, premium and programmes, and will spotlight the harmful effect of the climate crisis on the future of our food.
The Fairtrade Foundation says: ‘Coffee, bananas and chocolate could soon be much more difficult to buy. Climate change is making crops like these harder and harder to grow. Combined with deeply unfair trade, communities growing these crops are being pushed to the brink.’
This year, the message resonates so much more as we currently experience lots of empty shelves in our supermarkets as fruit and veg growers have reaped poorer harvests due to extreme weather conditions since the summer of 2022.
Another of the Fairtrade Foundation’s Campaigns is #WaveOfHope which focuses on climate justice and asks individuals to sign the Community Declaration in support of climate justice. This short video explains how Fairtrade is tackling the climate crisis.
Buying Fairtrade is easy; there are over 6000 Fairtrade products from coffee and tea to flowers and chocolate, and you can purchase them online, in high street supermarkets and of course, in your on-campus Students’ Union shops.
