Climate change is not fair
For farmers and workers in countries with low GDP, climate change is not a far-off challenge. It is their everyday life. They are already experiencing decreasing crop yields, soil erosion, pests, diseases and changing weather patterns. This changing reality affects farmers and their communities directly in the form of:
- Income loss
- Food insecurity
- The need to change their business models
- Increased costs for adaptation and mitigation
We must all adapt
Climate studies predict that by 2050 coffee, tea, cocoa and cotton will be so severely affected that production in some areas will even disappear. While it’s easy to think, “I guess I’ll kick my caffeine habit,” that is ignoring the millions of farmers and workers who depend on international trade and these crops in particular to survive.
80% of the world’s food comes from 500 million small-scale farms.
We all rely on farmers and workers to produce the food needed to feed a growing global population. Businesses and shoppers in the US must invest in these communities so that they can adapt, become more resilient and ultimately survive.
Fairtrade cannot solve the issue of climate change, but we do support farmers with tools, practices and resources to become more resilient.
Watch this video to see how one woman-led cooperative in Honduras diversified their crops and then took it to the next level.
How Fairtrade addresses climate change
Fairtrade cannot solve the issue of climate change, but we do support farmers with tools, practices and resources to become more resilient.
Fairtrade Premium
Producer organizations get extra money from the sales of Fairtrade certified products (aka the Premium). They can (and do!) use these funds on projects like tree planting, clean energy and crop diversification to better prepare their farms for climate change.
Environmental Standards
Fairtrade producer organizations follow our environmental standards to minimize their impact on the environment—like not using GMO seeds or harmful chemicals and not cutting down protected forests.
Fairtrade Carbon Credits
In partnership with the Gold Standard, we established Fairtrade Carbon Credits so farming communities can access carbon finance to tackle the effects of climate change through renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry projects.
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There will be a food shortage because of the heat whereas, before, there were a lot of forests, the rains were regular and the seasons were well divided. It was easier. There were four seasons, now we don’t know anymore when we should plant and when we should stop.
Ebrottié Tanoh Florentin, Cocoa Farmer in Côte d’Ivoire
Living through climate change
Hear from farmers
Farmers and workers are on the front lines of climate change. From region to region and crop to crop, the stories are different, but Fairtrade farmers are all experiencing or anticipating the effects of climate change. Hear what it is like directly from them.
Segundo
See how coffee leaf rust—a fungus that is becoming more prevalent because of climate change—is affecting Segundo's crops in Peru.
Ebrottie
Hear from cocoa farmer, Ebrottie, on how climate change is affecting his farm and his community in Cote d'Ivoire.
Zeddy
Watch how Zeddy, a coffee farmer from Kenya, has changed her farming practices to combat prolonged dry spells.
Invest in our collective future
It is possible to meet your needs today without sacrificing our future. By choosing Fairtrade, you are shaping trade with people and the planet in mind.
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