There are hundreds of millions of farmers worldwide. The majority of their income comes from selling crops and products. But their pay does not always match what they deserve. Many of them are not getting the full benefits from their hard work, which farmers rely on to make a good living.
Fairtrade is the world’s largest and most recognized fair-trade system, with 1.8 million associated farmers worldwide. It is a global system that works directly with every party in the trade: farmers and workers, importers and exporters, retailers, and consumers. The Fairtrade logo stands for a set of social, economic, and environmental standards in the production and supply of a product. It is based on a fair minimum price for crops and the fairtrade premium, an additional sum of money directed at social, environmental, and economic developmental projects. These standards protect workers’ rights and ensure they work in a safe environment, they also promote fair pay and gender equality. At the same time, Fairtrade invests in climate-friendly farming techniques that ensure a sustainable future.
As Juan Pablo Solís Víquez, senior advisor at Fairtrade International explains, Fairtrade works as a partnership that engages every party in the trade. They are promoting this partnership and converting it to better legislation and norms to ensure better and fair ways to trade for everyone.
Farmers around the world are experiencing tremendous challenges. In addition to limited access to markets and resources, farmers have to face new hurdles posed by a changing climate. The central elements of Fairtrade’s view of sustainability are environmental protection and adaptation to climate change.
As far as environmental protection legislation is concerned, Fairtrade carefully considers how it goes along with the goals of farmers and lobbies for improvements in their interests. At the same time, they provide farmers with training and education on environmentally friendly farming practices. As a result, farmers are encouraged and supported to deal with climate change and mitigate its impact.
Fairtrade understands that it is not sustainable just to provide farmers with top-down environment-friendly solutions. It is essential to learn about what farmers genuinely need and the realities they live in, so that the solutions can directly address their problems and truly help them.
Farmers around the world and Fairtrade understand the necessity of making changes. They also understand this is a slow process. They can make more and more progress by taking one step at a time.
Fairtrade continues to support farmers and workers to improve the amount and quality of their crops. Thus, this can ensure a happy and sustainable life. It also protects their rights and promotes equality. This way of doing trade empowers farmers and workers to take control of their lives and create a better future through trade. Consumers can also be reassured that they are getting high-quality and ethically produced products.
Fairtrade’s efforts to make trade fair to everybody helped to create a vision: a world in which trade is based on fairness so that people enjoy their roles in trade and enjoy their lives in a secure and sustainable society.
