Fairtrade and climate justice

Updated: March 2024

Fairtrade farmers are taking action to adapt to the climate crisis that threatens their future. Will you support them? 

What does Climate Justice mean for Fairtrade farmers?

Climate change isn’t fair. 

Small-scale farmers who did the least to cause the climate crisis are feeling it’s worst effects right now. Lives and livelihoods are being lost due to extreme weather, pushing families and whole communities to the brink. 

The climate crisis was caused by centuries of exploitation of people and planet by the world’s wealthiest. The highest-earning 1 percent are responsible for the same level of emissions as the lowest earning 5 billion people. (Oxfam, Climate Inequality report, 2023).  

Fairtrade farmers are taking action already.

Many small-scale farmers and workers in countries most affected by climate change are often experts in adapting to climate change. But unfair trade means they don’t have the money to invest in sustainable farming techniques that can secure a fairer, greener future for people, planet and the world’s food supply. 

Right now, we’re asking the UK government to deliver fair laws and fair funding to support farmers taking on deforestation. Will you sign the petition to show your support? 

Take action on Protecting Forests with Farmers

When you choose Fairtrade, you are part of changing that.  Fairtrade can offer farmers a chance to earn a better deal, and so more money and resources to invest in taking on climate change. 

And together, we can tell our politicians it’s time to own up to our responsibilities. We can still be a part of building a fairer, greener future. 

Meet Jaime Alberto García Flórez, a coffee farmer from Colombia

He works hard on his farm in the North of Colombia and worries about the future of coffee.

We live from coffee. We fight for coffee so that we can have this tradition in the future for our children… we are in danger because of climate change. It’s really here. The temperature is too high so we have had to replace coffee with cocoa and plant trees between our remaining coffee bushes to give them shade. We are the first generation to feel the change and the last generation to be able to change it.Jaime Alberto García Flórez, coffee farmer from Red Ecolsierra Co-operative, Colombia

Jaime Alberto García Flórez, a coffee farmer from Red Ecolsierra Co-operative in the Sierra Nevada region of Colombia standing next to a tree
Jaime Alberto García Flórez, coffee farmer from Red Ecolsierra Co-operative in the Sierra Nevada region of Colombia © Chris Terry 2024

With support from Fairtrade, farmers in Jaime’s co-operative are learning new ways to produce more sustainable, more eco-friendly coffee that could help save future production.

They practice dynamic agroforestry like planting shade trees to boost soil quality and weather the climate challenges like higher temperatures. The co-operative has invested in improving coffee harvesting and drying, carried out a wastewater decontamination project, and provided training to members of the co-operative.

They’ve also improved their access to international markets by building an administrative headquarters, as well as collection centres for their members’ coffee. In the community, they’ve funded education for members’ children.


Getting involved in your community

Throughout 2024, you can get involved by signing the Protecting Forests campaign and at a local level by taking part in key climate justice activities across the year.

Watch out this year for Spring Climate Stories, across April 2024, Great Big Green Week 8-16 June 2024 and COP29 activities 11-24th November 2024.

Forests in the mountains of Colombia

Spring Climate Stories

This spring, you can hear from Fairtrade farmers and workers through a collection of Fairtrade Climate Stories. Join us online at our next Campaign Catch Up (Thursday 11 April 6…

Great Big Green Week

Each year, the Fairtrade Foundation along with Fairtrade campaigners support Great Big Green Week, the biggest-ever celebration of community-led action on climate change. Get involved to make sure the message…

COP29

Watch this space-more info coming for Fairtrade campaigners soon!  Ask the UK government to support the farmers taking on deforestation, by delivering on promised funding and making sure deforestation law…