The Fairtrade Foundation’s campaigns have taken a number of specific turns in recent years, from gunning for a fairer banana price to supporting sugar cane farmers.
This year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, which takes place from 29 February to 13 March, is taking a more broad-brush approach, asking Brits to switch to a Fairtrade breakfast in support of farmers who grow the products they like to start the day, such as coffee, tea, cocoa and bananas.
According to the Fairtrade Foundation, which works with 1.5 million farmers and workers in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin and Central America, nearly half of the world’s 400 million hungry live on small farms. It points out that smallholder farmers who are part of Fairtrade earn around a third more than when they joined the body.
The organisation’s public engagement director, Nilufar Verjee, says: “When people are paid a fair price, they can have more control over their lives when times are hard, and worry less about how they will feed their families. Whether it’s having the money to spend on food or being able to expand their farms to grow more food to eat, Fairtrade means many farmers and workers are able to do what we take for granted – put enough food on the table for the people they care about, all year round.”
Fairtrade campaigners are hosting breakfast events around the country during the fortnight, tweeting using the hashtag #YouEatTheyEat. And a number of high-profile figures are backing the push, including Allegra McEvedy, a chef and broadcaster who has recently visited Fairtrade olive farmers in Palestine; TV’s Laura Jackson; radio presenter Alice Levine; and Aggie MacKenzie from How Clean Is Your House?
