Fairtrade Fortnight 2020 is here

February 23, 2020

This Fairtrade Fortnight (24 February-8 March 2020) tells the stories of the farmers behind the products we use everyday from cocoa to coffee.

Fairtrade’s She Deserves campaign highlights research on the cocoa sector in West Africa, where 60% of the world’s cocoa is grown. In Côte d’Ivoire, women carry out 68% of the labour and are responsible for children and the home but have fewer rights than men and earn even less.

In coffee, there is a similar story, with around 125 million people worldwide dependent on it for their livelihoods. It is the most valuable and widely traded tropical agricultural product and is mainly produced by smallholder farmers.

Many of them are unable to earn a reliable living from the coffee they produce. It isn’t enough to support the most basic needs such as fresh water and food, education and healthcare.

Fairtrade events will take place in communities across the Nation: from afternoon teas, to football games and banana splits, inviting people to think about the challenges faced by farmers and workers around the world.

Aileen Burmeister, National Co-ordinator at Fair Trade Wales said; “We are fighting for living incomes for both men and women so that communities can flourish. When you Choose Fairtrade it means farmers get a fairer price for their products and can invest in their farms, their villages and their children’s futures.

This Fairtrade Fortnight, hear incredible stories from invisible women, farmers and businesses who deserve a living income for products we use and rely on everyday”

Fairtrade Fortnight in Wales is supported by the Welsh Government and Hub Cymru Africa.