Making food fair for small farmers

Did you know that 70% of the world’s food is produced by 500 million smallholder farmers? And that this group also represents half of the world’s hungry people? There is something wrong with our global food system. ‘Powering up Smallholder Farmers to Make Food Fair' (PDF), a new report released just in time for World Fair Trade Day this Saturday, lays out a global strategy to make food work for all.

Read the report and learn more here

On the Road in Ethiopia

Trust is key at Fero Cooperative in Yirgalem, Ethiopia. A strong relationship between farmers and their co-op ensures success in good times and bad for this Fairtrade organisation.

We recently visited the farmers of Fero, a member of the well-known Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union. Join us for the ride.

Unlocking the Power of the Many

“… we seek to be at the cutting edge of reforming global trade in favour of justice.”

Fairtrade seeks to intensify our work with smallholder farmers and workers and innovate to drive sales in the market so that hundreds of thousands of more farmers and workers can grow profitable businesses and build thriving communities.

Click here for full details about ‘Unlocking the Power of the Many’.

Setting the Standard

Ever wondered how Fairtrade creates our world-renowned standards? How you can request a price for a new product, or take part in a consultation? Or just curious how many Fairtrade Minimum Prices were set in a year?

There’s much more to standard-setting than you might think! Check out this slide show, giving you an overview of the whole process – and how you can get involved.

Big Finance for Small Farmers

Long term loans and technical assistance are key to improving the lot of most Fairtrade farmers. The Fairtrade Access Fund, a joint project of Incofin, Fairtrade International and the Grameen Foundation, recently paid out its first loan to COPROCAEL, a coffee cooperative in Honduras. The $500,000 credit gives the co-op much needed trade capital to buy coffee from its members to sell in international markets.

Learn more about COPROCAEL and the Fairtrade Access Fund  here.