22 FEBRUARY TO 7 MARCH 2021
For two weeks each year at the end of February and start of March, thousands of individuals, companies and groups across the UK come together to share the stories of the people who grow our food and drinks and who grow the cotton in our clothes, people who are often exploited and underpaid.
We’ve always organised lots of events in SE Hants but in 2021, Fairtrade Fortnight will feel very different. We’re supporting the national events – see below – but we also have our own meeting on Monday 1st March, Climate, Fairtrade and You when Adam Gardner, Acting Head of Campaigns at the Fairtrade Foundation will tell us how producers are being hit by climate change and how they are being helped by Fairtrade organisations. We’ve also chosen some videos so that you can hear directly from the producers. Do join us.
Get all the details here and book your free ticket on Eventbrite
CHOOSE THE WORLD YOU WANT THIS FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT
In Fairtrade Fortnight 2021, we will highlight the growing challenges that climate change brings to farmers and workers in the communities Fairtrade works with. The facts are straightforward. Farmers and workers in the global south, who have done the least to contribute to climate change, are disproportionately affected. They have told us that:
- Climate change is one of their biggest challenges right now.
- Low prices for their crops mean that they are struggling to fight back.
- With more money through Fairtrade they feel more equipped to meet their everyday needs and deal with the challenges posed by climate change.
The climate crisis is an immediate and ever-increasing threat and those in climate vulnerable countries are already seeing its impacts from droughts and crop disease to floods, heatwaves and shrinking harvests.
With the emergence of the global COVID pandemic, the challenges that farmers face now are bigger than ever before with falling commodity prices and widespread shocks reverberating along our global supply chains. Ongoing poverty in farming communities makes it increasingly hard to cope with the effects of climate change.
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
Join the Fairtrade Foundation Festival online festival with your friends and family.
And there are community events around the country as part of the Fairtrade Community Festival
Use our social media resources to spread the word online and add more voices to the fight. You can find all hte resources for Fairtrade Fortnight here
Take part in our competition – take a selfie of you with a Fairtrade products (ideally beside one of the big posters in Portsmouth if you live nearby) and share them with our Facebook group.
Zaytoun have arranged some events to meet producers in Palestine. Find out more here
These are some of the exciting events you can join nationally
Further details of these events can be found on https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/choose-the-world-you-want/
We’ve partnered with Guardian Live events to bring together Fairtrade farmers, environmental experts and climate writers to ask: how is the climate crisis affecting our global food supply and the people behind it?
23 February 6:00 pm | Zoom
FAIRTRADE CAMPAIGNER FORUM
This is a unique event designed to bring together Fairtrade campaigners and supporters from all around the UK. We’re inviting campaigners and supporters to come along, share a campaign or activity you’re proud of, a connection made, learn from others and go away inspired.
WHAT’S FAIRTRADE GOT TO DO WITH FIGHTING THE CLIMATE CRISIS?
A Fairtrade Fortnight roundtable discussion exploring Fairtrade’s role in tackling the climate emergency. Come along to contribute or listen in.
24 February 6:00 pm | Zoom
FACES OF FAIRTRADE WITH PHOTOGRAPHER SEAN HAWKEY
Join acclaimed Brighton based photographer Sean Hawkey as he talks us through some of the images in his latest book Faces of Fairtrade. Sean visited Fairtrade farmers all around the world, hearing their stories and taking photos to capture their lives. This event is sponsored by York Fair Trade Forum.
24 February 7:30 pm | YouTube
CREATIVITY AGAINST THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Bridgerton actor and Fairtrade Foundation Patron Adjoa Andoh is joined by digital artists, musicians, writers and other wonderfully creative people to discuss how creativity can be used to power up climate campaigning.
25 Feb 12.00 Zoom
A CONVERSATION WITH OLIVE FARMER HAJ RAFEEQ HUSSEIN
Join Haj Rafeeq Hussein, a Fairtrade olive farmer from the ancient village of Ti’innik, perched high on a terraced hill in Palestine’s West Bank. He will talk about how climate change brings uncertainty to the seasonal rainfall patterns which are crucial for a good crop and how Fairtrade offers a safety net.
2 March 11:30 am | Zoom
FAIR FOCUS: BOOSTING SUPPLY CHAIN CLIMATE RESILIENCE
Join us for a climate special Fair Focus webinar this Fairtrade Fortnight! We’re talking about Boosting Supply Chain Climate Resilience
4 March 11 a.m
Bruce Crowther launches his new book
4 March 7:00 pm | Zoom
NICARAGUA: FAIRTRADE, HURRICANES AND CLIMATE JUSTICE
Host: Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign
In November, two hurricanes of unprecedented strength struck Nicaragua, a consequence of the climate crisis. Small-scale producers such as those from SOPPEXCCA, suffered the consequences of climate extremes for which they are least responsible.
Join our webinar to find out about the impact of the hurricanes on the livelihoods of the producers, how trade justice through Fairtrade helped to mitigate the impact, and why trade and climate justice are inseparable.
Get tips on growing climate-friendly plants at home and sustainable cooking, and hear about some of the challenges presented by climate change as we’re joined by the Permaculture Association’s Chris Warburton Brown, Fairtrade tea growers from India and eco-chef, Tom Hunt.
VISIT THE FAIRTRADE SCHOOLS SITE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR EDUCATION PACK FOR EARLY YEARS, PRIMARY SCHOOLS OR SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
There are lots of interesting things children can do at home or in school. There are lots of suggestions for activities plus an invitation to young people to share their vision of the world they want. The theme for 2021 is all about the climate emergency, the effects it’s already having on the people who produce our food and how Fairtrade organisations can help.To find out more about the call to young people to share their vision of the future they’d like to see, see here
MATERIALS AND IDEAS FOR FAITH GROUPS
There are lots of excellent reources on the Fairtrade Foundation website, written for different faiths. Why not include some prayers or a short video in a service ?
You could also have a look at this ecumenical service
OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO
Host your own online meeting or event. This could be anything from a discussion space, a quiz, a talk… even an online coffee morning, cook along or crafting session.
You can sign the Climate Coalition’s Climate Declaration and tell your local MP or Council about your commitment to putting the voices of producers at the heart of the climate crisis fight. New press release templates to use are coming soon.
BUY FAIRTRADE PRODUCTS
Make sure you’re still putting Fairtrade products in your shopping basket.
You can buy Fairtrade goods in more or less all supermarkets plus specialist shops like Shop Equalityin Eastleigh and Wild Thyme in Southsea
The Help Palestine Coop (which is local) sells a range of goods from Palestine like olive oil, dates, maftoul, almonds and freekeh and import hand crafted olive wood goods from Bethlehem and ceramics from Hebron. They will deliver in the local area and run stalls at lots of local events.
And tou can order lots of Fairtrade goods from Traidcraft. Most reps can’t run stalls at the moment but you can order from the Traidcraft shop
Share stories of how producers are doubly hit by COVID and the changing climate and why Fairtrade can make a difference.
The Fairtrade Foundation would welcome donations
Join a local group There are a number of groups in South East Hants you can join:
HOW DOES FAIRTRADE SUPPORT FARMERS IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS?
Fairtrade is about social, economic and environmental justice. These are built into our standards and drive everything we do. A root cause of the inability to adapt to and mitigate climate change is poverty. More money in the hands of farmers is needed if they are to adapt and survive the climate crisis. Choosing Fairtrade fights for improvements in producers’ livelihoods with collective strength through co-ops and their bargaining power, the protection of a Minimum Price and Fairtrade Premiums.
In 2019, Fairtrade also launched an ambitious new living incomes campaign to lead the way to a sustainable future for cocoa farmers. A living income would provide farmers with a decent standard of living – enough to cover all their cocoa farming costs and enough to cover their basic human rights, like a nutritious diet, children’s education and healthcare. Only when they have met these basic needs can they start to meet the challenges of our changing climate.
Find out more about why choosing Fairtrade means choosing to fight climate change on our Climate Justice campaign page.
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