Fairtrade Fortnight Campaign: Come On In

The Fairtrade Foundation continuously fight to improve the working conditions of poor farming units. Communities Campaigns Manager Adam Gardner told us more about their plan for progress…
Putting an end to poverty through trade is Fairtrade’s goal as an independent certification body and NGO. The purpose of its internationally functional system is to ensure the products licensed with the Fairtrade mark meet the social, economic and environmental standards that have been strictly set in place; crucially designed to make life easier for a vast pool of farmers and workers.
The organisation operates on a large scale, resulting in a large inventory of foods, materials and other such wares – more than 5,000 items have been stamped as Fairtrade approved – and those working behind the scenes to make this possible are doing their utmost to strive for absolute sustainability and integrity.
As an independent label, efforts are made to assist agricultural employees across 75 developing countries, enabling them to get a significantly better deal from trade in a movement which pacifies consumers as well as (inevitably) the farming community.
This in turn will benefit the individuals who tirelessly endeavour to produce coffee, tea, cocoa, bananas, wine, flowers, cotton, gold and so on – and this is by no means a meagre number – it totals to more than 1.6 million, as a matter of fact.
With strategically developed campaigns and carefully conceptualised projects the Fairtrade team can raise awareness of their cause whilst acting in the best interests of those they are aiming to assist.
Statistics have shown that in 2016, the retail sales of Fairtrade certified products exceeded £1.65 billion – an utterly staggering amount, which indicates the real success and growth of this remarkable brand.
Because of this accomplishment, there was also a marked increase in volume expansion, which in essence, means that an estimated financial premium totalling around £30 million will go to farm workers and producers throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The end result is ongoing improvements for those within the agricultural sector and their communities, and the establishment of a fairer system of global trade that can be appreciated and accepted by businesses and clients alike.
As many people are already aware, Fairtrade roll out a yearly campaign designed to open people’s eyes to the concerns revolving around those working in disadvantaged areas, openly encouraging them to support the unjustly exploited and make a difference to the wider community.
The project, which has been coined ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’, may run for two specifically allocated weeks, but this doesn’t mean that the work stops once this time slot is up.
The Fairtrade group are constantly making moves in order to ensure change, and this year will be no different. The 2018 campaign for Fairtrade Fortnight, running from 26 February to 11 March, acts as an invitation, of sorts – prompting the general public to ‘Come On In’.
The idea behind this particular movement is to let others into the world of those who grow our food, by emphasising just how difficult and frustrating it can be for people who are not treated fairly in their place of work.
Nationwide and celebrity-fronted for maximum impact, ‘Come On In’ has been developed to provide a sense of enlightenment – with its powerful message it can be fully understood just how businesses, farmers, workers and shoppers band together through Fairtrade in order to make these much-needed improvements.
The campaigns are ran to heighten awareness of Fairtrade, which can be effectively done with the arrangement of thousands of events taking place all over the country.
Breakfasts, breaks, bake-offs…these gatherings are all organised in order to challenge the British public to open their doors to Fairtrade and recognise the efforts of the individuals who produce the things we eat, drink and wear.
Before the development of the organisation and it’s well established Fairtrade Fortnight, many farmers struggled to see any benefits or profits whilst in employment – for many, the price they used to receive (per a box of goods, for example) wasn’t enough to cover their costs.
This wasn’t because of a ‘dry patch’ either – in one case, a member of Coobana (a Fairtrade banana co-operative in Panama) stated that no progress was made for more than 17 years. This was of course altered when this NGO came into play and set into motion what has been described as a ‘mega-revolution’.
The truth is, it’s a scandalous reality that millions of farmers and workers are being ripped off despite working hard to provide the products we love. What’s more, unfairness in global trade is rooted in centuries of exploitation.
Yet across the globe, millions of hard-working producers are unravelling this legacy. They’re fighting for a fair deal, supported by Fairtrade, earning their way out of poverty and transforming their communities.
More people choosing, sharing and shouting about Fairtrade in the UK – particularly during Fairtrade Fortnight – will open doors for more producers to break the stranglehold of poverty prices.
As well as their certification efforts and continued campaigns, Fairtrade will be deepening its impact by delivering specialised programmes. These projects will, in the long term, support disadvantaged communities by allowing them to boost their productivity (this will also make a difference when fighting against other factors, such as climate change).
To find out more visit fairtrade.co.uk.
> Hannah Montgomery