Expanding the reach of Fairtrade and deepening its impact for producers is the heart of Tipping the Balance, our strategy to 2012.
Building on our strong grassroots support, we are always seeking new ways to strengthen our systems, standards and strategic influence with businesses.
Critical to this is broadening our impact in the poorest places, particularly in Africa. The second year of our Fairtrade for Development in Africa project, funded by Comic Relief, totalling £5m over five years, supported progress on a programme to develop opportunities for farmers and workers in Malawi to join Fairtrade. The same programme also funds support and technical assistance for existing Fairtrade producers, assessment of the impact of Fairtrade for producers and the development of the Africa Fairtrade Network - a network of Fairtrade producers set up to influence Fairtrade strategy and a member of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International. We also supported the establishment of Fairtrade Labelling in South Africa through Comic Relief. We offered advice and shared expertise and experience of Fairtrade processes and licensing. Now shoppers in South Africa can buy Fairtrade coffee, wine and tea from six companies.
We've helped Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International launch Making a Difference, their global strategy for Fairtrade, aiming to strengthen, broaden and deepen Fairtrade.
We have been developing Fairtrade standards to open the doors of Fairtrade to producers of jute, rubber, pulses, marine products, silk, soya and vegetables. Through innovative partnerships we are exploring collaboration with other certification schemes, such as the Alliance for Responsible Mining for gold, and supporting our colleagues in FLO in exploring the joint labelling of forestry products with the Forestry Stewardship Council.
Influencing change
The popularity of our grassroots social movement shows the wide public support for a change in the way global trade is conducted, in favour of the world's marginalised producers and workers. In this wider context we continue to be active in the Trade Justice Movement, in 2008 supporting a postcard campaign urging Prime Minister Gordon Brown made trade rules fairer.
In 2009 we ran a postcard action with the World Development Movement asking Baroness Ashton, the new EU Trade Commissioner, to review EU trade policy so that it prioritises development, sustainability and human rights.